Cherokee Trail’s Kaeli Powe Named Track & Field’s Gatorade Player of the Year for Colorado

CHICAGO — In its 40^th year of honoring the nation’s most elite high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Kaeli Powe of Cherokee Trail High School is the 2024-25 Gatorade Colorado Girls Track & Field Player of the Year.  

Gatorade Player of the Year is the top honor in high school sports, celebrating the nation’s best high school athletes for their success on the field, in the classroom and in the community. The award distinguishes Powe as Colorado’s best high school girls track & field athlete, and she joins an impressive group of alumni that spans CEOs, coaches and star athletes such as Sanya Richards (2001-02, St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Fl.), Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (2014-15, 2015-16 & 2016-17, Union Catholic High School, N.J.) and Angelina Napoleon (2022-23, Allegany-Limestone Central School, N.Y.). 

The 5-foot-6 senior field events specialist took fifth in the triple jump at the New Balance Nationals to earn All-American honors this past season. Powe’s season-best effort of 42 feet, 1 inch at the Centennial League Championship ranked No. 5 nationally among prep girls competitors this spring. Powe won the triple jump for the second consecutive year, finished second in the long jump and was sixth in the 100-meter hurdles at the Class 5A state meet. She also leaped a state-leading 20 feet in the long jump at the On Ye Bruins Relays, which ranked tied for No. 18 nationally. 

An active member of the Big Brother/Big Sister program in her community, Powe has volunteered locally with the Colorado Community Church Marketplace Foodbank collection, which helps fight hunger. She has also donated her time to multiple community service initiatives through her church congregation. “A true workhorse who qualified in an amazing seven events at her state meet, Kaeli Powe partook in the maximum allowable four events,” said Rich Gonzalez of PrepCalTrack.com. “That plus a top-five finish at nationals makes for an impressive resume.” 

Powe has maintained a 4.31 weighted GPA in the classroom. She has signed a written letter of athletic aid to compete at the University of Central Florida this fall. 

The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states across 12 different high school sports – football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field – and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. The selection process is administered by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which leverages experts including coaches, scouts, media and others as sources to help evaluate and determine the state winners in each sport. 

As part of Gatorade’s commitment to breaking down barriers in sport, every Player of the Year also receives a grant to donate to a social impact partner. To date, the Gatorade Player of the Year program has provided more than $5.6 million in grants to winners across more than 2,000 organizations. 

To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, check out past winners or to nominate student-athletes, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com or follow us on social media on Instagram at instagram.com/Gatorade, Facebook at facebook.com/GatoradePOY and X(Twitter) at x.com/Gatorade.