by CHICAGO (February 10, 2020) — In its 35th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company today announced Galvin Curley of Navajo Pine High School as its 2019-20 Gatorade New Mexico Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year. Curley is the first Gatorade New Mexico Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year to be chosen from Navajo Pine High School.
The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Curley as New Mexico’s best high school boys cross country runner. Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year award to be announced in February, Curley joins an elite alumni association of past state awardwinners in 12 sports, including Lukas Verzbicas (2010-11, 2009-10 Carl Sandburg High School, Orland Park, Ill.), Megan Goethals (2009-10, Rochester High School, Rochester Hills, Mich.), Jordan Hasay (2008-09, Mission College Preparatory Catholic High School, San Luis Obispo, Calif.) and Chris Derrick (2007-08, Neuqua Valley High School, Naperville, Ill.).
The 5-foot-7, 135-pound senior won the Class A-2A state meet for a second-straight year this past season with a time of 16:13.5, breaking the tape 28.4 seconds ahead of his next-closest competitor and leading the Warriors to a first-place finish as a team. Curley was also the top New Mexico finisher at the Nike Cross Nationals Southwest Regional championships, crossing the line 41st in 15:37.5. He is a two-time Navajo Times Runner of the Year.
A member of his school’s student council, Curley has volunteered locally with Navajo Nation Foster Care and as a youth running coach. “What makes Galvin a great runner is mostly his passion for the sport,” said Patrick Ortiz, head coach of Pecos High. “He has worked extremely hard to get where he is today. He is competitive and resilient.”
Curley has maintained a B average in the classroom. He remains undecided upon a collegiate destination
The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track and field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. From the 12 national winners, one male and one female athlete are each named Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year. In all, 607 athletes are honored each year.
Curley joins recent Gatorade New Mexico Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year Kashon Harrison (2018-19 & 2017-18, Kirtland Central High School), Jordan Lesansee (2016-17, Albuquerque Academy), Andrew Bosquez (2015-16, Hobbs High School) and Niles Thomas (2014-15, Miyamura High School), among the state’s list of former award winners.
As a part of Gatorade’s cause marketing platform “Play it Forward,” Curley has the opportunity to award a $1,000 grant to a local or national youth sports organization of his choosing. He is also eligible to submit an essay to win one of twelve $10,000 spotlight grants for the organization of choice, which will be announced throughout the year.
Congratulations to Galvin Curley for all the hard work in becoming Gatorade’s Cross Country Runner of the Year 2019-2020 for the state of New Mexico.
Congratulations! So proud.