Boys Track & Field: Niwot’s Quinn Sullivan Named Gatorade Colorado Player of the Year
CHICAGO — In its 41st year celebrating the nation’s best high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Quinn Sullivan of Niwot High School is the 2025-26 Gatorade Colorado Boys Track and 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 excellence in sport, academics and community.
The award recognizes Sullivan as Colorado’s best high school boys track and field athlete and he joins an elite legacy that spans professional athletes and coaches to CEOs, such as Alan Webb (2000-01, South Lakes High School, Virginia), Kerron Clement (2002-03, Laporte High School, Texas) and Tate Taylor (2024-25, Harlan High School, Texas).
The 5-foot-11, 135-pound junior distance talent earned All-American honors in the mile at the Nike Outdoor Nationals earlier this month, finishing third with a time of 4:03.93, which ranked No. 19 nationally among prep boys competitors this spring. Sullivan took second in the 800-meter run at the Class 4A state meet in 1:49.08, which ranked No. 16 nationally. He also picked up a fourth-place finish in the 1600 and was a member of Niwot’s winning 4×400-meter and 4×800-meter relay quartets as the Cougars earned the state title.
A participant in the Niwot Leadership Academy program dedicated to cultivating leadership skills, community engagement and character development, Sullivan has volunteered locally on behalf of the REAL Training youth running club and in the concession booth for NHS boosters at athletic events. He has also donated his time as a student aide.
“Sullivan finished his junior campaign ranked in the U.S. Top 30 in the 800, 1600, mile and 3200 this spring,” said Rich Gonzalez of PrepCalTrack.com. “He’s a Nike Outdoor Nationals All-American and bronze medalist and he’s a top talent on one of the best Distance Medley Relay quartets in prep history.”
Sullivan has maintained a 4.55 weighted GPA in the classroom. He will begin his senior year of high school this fall.
The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one state winner from each of the 50 states and Washington D.C., in 12 different sports: football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, baseball, softball, boys and girls soccer, and boys and girls track & field. In total, 610 high school athletes are honored each year. From the pool of state winners, one national winner is selected in each of the 12 sports. 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 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 $6.4 million in grants to winners across more than 2,200 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.
