In its 38th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, Gatorade recently announced Owen Burnett — who attends Kemmerer High School, but competes in cross country for Mountain View High School — is the 2022-23 Gatorade Wyoming Boys Cross Country Player of the Year. Burnett is the first Gatorade Wyoming Boys Cross Country Player of the Year to be chosen from Mountain View High School.

The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Burnett as Wyoming's best high school boys cross country player. Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Boys Cross Country Player of the Year award to be announced in February, Burnett joins an elite alumni association of state award-winners, including Parker Wolfe (2020-21, Cherry Creek High School, Greenwood Village, Colo.), Nico Young (2019-20, Newbury Park High School, Newbury Park, Calif.), Megan Goethals (2009-10, Rochester High School, Rochester Hills, Mich.) and Jordan Hasay (2008-09, Mission College Preparatory Catholic High School, San Luis Obispo, Calif.).

The 5-foot-10, 135-pound senior raced to victory at the Class 3A state championships this past season, pacing the Buffaloes to the team title. Burnett, who attends Kemmerer Jr.-Sr. High School but competes for Mountain View High School, won six of eight meets he entered last fall and did not lose to an in-state runner during the 2022 campaign. He capped his season by clocking a personal-best time of 15:38.5 at the Nike Cross Northwest Regionals crossing the line 21st as the state’s fastest competitor at the meet.

A senior patrol leader in his Boy Scouts Troop, Burnett has volunteered locally on behalf of multiple community service initiatives in association with Scouts BSA. In addition, he has mentored peers about their roles and responsibilities as Scout members. Also a Junior Ski Patrolman at Pine Creek Ski Resort, Burnett has, as a member of the National Honor Society, donated his time to two highway cleanup projects, an angel tree fundraiser, a Color-A-Thon fundraiser run, and to a project that designed and constructed a new entry sign for Kemmerer.“Owen Burnett concluded his prep career on a high note, winning a second straight state title and finishing unbeaten against in-state competition,” said PrepCalTrack’s Rich Gonzalez. “He was Wyoming’s fastest competitor at the Nike Cross Northwest Regional championships and he’ll bring an impressive turnover rate to the Cowboys’ roster this fall, having clocked a sub-16 time in the 5,000 on the outdoor track as a junior.”

Burnett has maintained a 3.98 GPA in the classroom. He has signed a National Letter of Intent to run on scholarship at the University of Wyoming this fall.

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.

Burnett joins recent Gatorade Wyoming Boys Cross Country Players of the Year Mason Wheeler (2021-22, Jackson Hole High School) and Peter Visser (2020-21, 2019-20, & 2018-19, Star Valley High School), among the state’s list of former award winners.

Being a Gatorade Player of the Year means paying it forward for the next generation. Through Gatorade’s Play it Forward initiative, every Player of the Year receives a grant to give to one of Gatorade’s social impact partners, supporting Gatorade’s ambition to fuel the future of sport. To date, Gatorade Player of the Year winners’ grants have totaled more than $3.5 million across more than 1,300 organizations.

For nearly 40 years, Gatorade has honored high school athletes at the top of their game as teammates, supporting their communities and achieving academic success. From CEOs and coaches to star athletes and community leaders, Gatorade Player of the Year winners showcase the power of sport.