Jackson’s Mason Wheeler Wins Gatorade Wyoming Boys Cross Country Player of the Year Award

Jackson Hole High School senior Mason Wheeler got selected as the 2021-22 Gatorade Wyoming Boys Cross Country Player of the Year on Monday.

Wheeler is the second winner of this award to be chosen from Jackson Hole High School.

Wheeler won the Class 4A state championship last fall. He crossed the finish line with a time of 16:10.45. That was nearly ten seconds ahead of the second-place runner. Wheeler helped the Broncs finish second in the team standings. He won three meets during the 2021 fall high school season, which included the Chief Nation Invitational and the Lockhart Ranch Invitational. Wheeler placed 12th at the Nike Cross Northwest Regional Championships last November.

Get our free mobile app

Sheridan head coach Art Baures had some very complimentary words about Mason Wheeler in the release from The Gatorade Company.

“Mason was a tremendous competitor and he consistently raced his best on the days when it counted the most. He is a tough-minded runner and it is apparent that he relishes race days when the stakes are highest.”

Wheeler has a 3.83 GPA in the classroom. He has volunteered locally with Habitat for Humanity, as part of the trail maintenance crew at the Bridger-Teton National Forest, and has donated his time as a Nordic ski race course Marshall and official timer.

Wheeler is undecided about a college destination at this time.

This is the 37th year The Gatorade Company is honoring the nation’s best high school athletes. This award recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field. It distinguishes Wheeler as Wyoming’s best high school boys’ cross-country runner. He is now a finalist for Gatorade National Boys Cross Country Player of the Year. That will be announced next month.

Wheeler joins Peter Visser from Star Valley (2020-21, 2019-20, 2018-19) and Laramie’s Albert Steiner (2017-18), among the state’s list of former award winners.

As a part of receiving the honor from The Gatorade Company and its’ cause marketing platform “Play it Forward,” Wheeler has the opportunity to award a $1,000 grant to a local or national organization of his choice that helps young athletes realize the benefits of playing sports. He is also eligible to submit a short video explaining why the organization he chose is deserving of one of twelve $10,000 spotlight grants for the organization of choice, which will be announced throughout the year.

Information from a press release issued by The Gatorade Company was used in this story.