Cheyenne East’s Maggie Madsen Repeats as Wyoming Gatorade Girls Cross Country Player of the Year

Cheyenne East junior runner Maggie Madsen was selected as the Gatorade Wyoming Girls Cross Country Player of the Year award winner on Wednesday for 2025-26. Madsen earned the Gatorade honor for the second consecutive year. Madsen is now a finalist for the Gatorade National Cross Country Player of the Year award, which will be announced later this month. In its 41st year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company announced Madsen’s award via a press release.

GATORADE WYOMING GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2025-26

The award recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character, as demonstrated on and off the field. It distinguishes Madsen as Wyoming’s best high school girls’ cross-country runner.

The 5-6 junior captured her second straight Class 4A state cross-country championship last fall in Cheyenne, clocking 18:17.7 and finishing nearly 26 seconds ahead of her closest competitor. She ran a personal best of 17:15.40 to place eighth at the Nike Cross Nationals Northwest Regional in November, earning second-team all-region honors. A three-time all-state selection in cross-country, Madsen also won two races this season, even while contending with an injury.

In a release from The Gatorade Company, Rich Gonzalez of PrepCalTrack pointed to Madsen’s effort in spite of a limited schedule.

“Maggie Madsen remains the class of Wyoming on the girls’ side of the cross-country ledger. Despite battling a hip flexor injury, she PR’d twice this past season at 5K and seems poised for an even more decorated senior campaign.”

Read More Cross Country News From WyoPreps

WyoPreps Athletes of the Week 10-30-25

2025 Wyoming HS Girls XC State Championship Recap

2025 Wyoming HS Boys XC State Championship Recap

2025 Wyoming HS XC All-State Awards

2025 WyoPreps Cross Country State Championship Preview

2025 WyoPreps Cross Country State Championships Outlook

2025 WyoPreps Cross Country Conference Championship Results

2025 WyoPreps Cross Country Results Week 7

2025 WyoPreps Cross Country Results Week 6

2025 WyoPreps Cross Country Results Week 5

2025 WyoPreps Cross Country Results Week 4

2025 WyoPreps Cross Country Results Week 3

2025 WyoPreps Cross Country Results Week 2

2025 WyoPreps Cross Country Results Week 1

Get our free mobile app

Madsen excels academically and gives back

Madsen maintains a weighted 4.17 GPA in the classroom. She will be a senior this fall. A member of the Cheyenne Mayor’s Youth Council, Madsen has volunteered locally on behalf of the Cheyenne Youth Day of Giving, the Greenway Cleanup, the Botanic Gardens, and Needs Inc. She has also donated her time to Cheyenne Animal Shelter, Paul Smith Children’s Village, and Empowering Youth in Cambodia, in addition to serving as a track meet assistant and fundraising for Friday Food Bags.

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.

Madsen joins Madison Antonino of Jackson (2023-24), Sydney Morrell from Cheyenne Central (2022-23), and Kate Brigham of Jackson (2021-22) as recent Gatorade Wyoming Girls Cross Country Player of the Year award winners.

*Information from a press release from the Gatorade Company was used in this story.