CHICAGO — Lynnfield’s Nathan Lopez has been selected as the 2022-2023 Gatorade Massachusetts Boys Track and Field Player of the Year.
Lopez is the first Gatorade Massachusetts Boys Track & Field Player of the Year to be chosen from St. John’s Preparatory School in the 38 years the award has been given. The award recognizes outstanding athletic excellence, academic achievement and exemplary character both on and off the field and distinguishes Lopez as Massachusetts’ best high school boys track & field athlete.
Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Boys Track & Field Player of the Year award that will be announced in July, the 2023 Prep graduate will take his talents to the University of Michigan this fall.
The 6-foot-1, 160-pound senior broke a 48-year-old meet record in the 2-mile run at the MIAA All-State Outdoor Track and Field Meet of Champions in late June at Fitchburg State University with a time of 8:59.29, taking down former Boston Marathon and three-time New York City Marathon winner Alberto Salazar’s meet record (9:00.0) set in 1975. Lopez doubled up with a win in the mile in 4:12.99.
Three weeks later, Lopez shattered his own record by 15 seconds to win silver at the New Balance Nationals Outdoor meet, clocking an 8:44.54, posting the nation’s seventh best performance among Prep boys in 2023.
Lopez has also shined off the track. He has volunteered locally on behalf of the Boston Oasis Coalition, a non-profit organization providing empowerment and support to the unhoused. He also launched a shoe drive in association with the Got Sneakers Organization, which has upcycled 341 pairs of shoes to reduce landfill footprint. In addition, he has donated his time as a student-organizer for middle school track meets and by serving as a student ambassador at the Prep’s open houses for prospective students.
In addition, Lopez has also excelled in the classroom, graduating with a weighted GPA of 4.07, and was one of four Prep students recognized with an Athletic Director’s Award.
“Nathan’s dramatic improvement— slicing 15 seconds off his PR in a national championship race that was the last of his prep career— capped a stellar stretch for the senior,” said Rich Gonzalez, editor of PrepCalTrack.com. “His breakthrough in the 2-mile race stamped the exclamation point on his high school legacy as he graduated as the fastest Prep in state history in the event.”
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 & 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.
In a statement released by Gatorade Player of the Year, Gatorade said that through Gatorade’s Play it Forward initiative, every player of the year receives a grant to donate to help support Gatorade’s goal of fueling the future of sport.
Gatorade Player of the Year winners’ grants have totaled more than $3.5 million which has been donated to more than 1,300 organizations. For nearly 40 years, Gatorade has honored the best high school athletes, supported their communities and fostered academic success and achievement.
From CEOs and coaches to star athletes and community leaders, Gatorade Player of the Year winners showcase the power of sport. To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, to check out past winners, or to nominate student athletes, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com or follow it on social media on Facebook at facebook.com/GatoradePOY, Instagram at instagram.com/Gatorade and Twitter at twitter.com/Gatorade.
