CHICAGO (June 25, 2024) — In its 39th year of honoring the nation’s most elite high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Katie Bohlke of Newington High School is the 2023-24 Gatorade Connecticut Girls Track & Field Player of the Year. Bohlke is the first Gatorade Connecticut Girls Track & Field Player of the Year to be chosen from Newington High School.

The award, which celebrates the nation’s top high school athletes for excellence on the field, in the classroom and in the community, distinguishes Bohlke as Connecticut’s best high school girls track & field athlete. From CEOs and coaches to star athletes, Gatorade Player of the Year winners showcase the power of sport, touting an all-star group of alumni that includes Sanya Richards-Ross (2001-02, St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Fla), Sydney McLaughlin (2016-17, 2015-16 & 2014-15, Union Catholic High School, N.J.) and Angelina Napoleon (2022-23, Allegany-Limestone Central School, N.Y.).

The 5-foot-10 senior distance talent set a meet and state record in the 1600-meter run at the New England Outdoor Championships this past season and her time of 4:46.43 ranked No. 30 nationally among prep competitors this spring. Bohlke also set a state record in the mile at Trials of Miles with a 4:42.69 clocking, which ranked No. 18 nationally. She added a national title in the 2000-meter steeplechase at New Balance Nationals Outdoors earlier this month with a time of 6:25.93, which ranked No. 1 nationally in 2024 and No. 5 in prep girls history.

A former Level 9 gymnast, Bohlke has participated in multiple service-mission trips to West Virginia, where she helped repair homes through the Appalachia Service Project. She has volunteered locally as a peer math tutor and at Unified Sports track meets to benefit physically and intellectually challenged youth athletes. “Each year Katie has steadily improved her speed and strength as her times have gotten better and this spring she’s taken it to a new level,” said Brian Collins, head coach of Glastonbury High School. “She’s learned to race from the front of the pack and within the pack. She has the confidence in her strength and speed to run her race.”

Bohlke has maintained a weighted 4.16 GPA in the classroom. She has signed a national letter of intent to compete on an athletic scholarship at Virginia Tech 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.

Bohlke joins recent Gatorade Connecticut Girls Track & Field Players of the Year Tess Sherry (2022-23, Conard High School), Sydney Segalla (2021-22, Housatonic Valley Regional High School), Sydney Masciarelli (2020-21, Marianapolis Preparatory School) and Tess Stapleton (2019-20, Fairfield Ludlowe High School) among the state’s list of former award winners.

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 $4.9 million in grants to winners across more than 1,900 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 Facebook at facebook.com/GatoradePOY, Instagram at instagram.com/Gatorade and X(Twitter) at x.com/Gatorade.

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MySportsResults.com Extras

Katie Bohlke won the NBNO Girls 2k Steeplechase Championship in a CT Record time of 6:25.93 (Photo by Ron Knapp of MySportsResults.com)

Previous Gatorade Players of the Year for Connecticut Outdoor Track and Field include:

Tess Sherry, 2022-23, DIS, Conard High School, West Hartford CT

Sydney Segalla, 2021-22, SPR, Housatonic Valley Regional High School, Canaan CT

Sydney Masciarelli, 2020-21 Girls Track & Field, DIST, Marianapolis Preparatory School, Thomaston CT

Tess Stapleton, 2019-20 Girls Track & Field, HURD, Fairfield Ludlowe HS, Fairfield CT

Sydney Masciarelli, 2018-19 Girls Track & Field, DIS, Marianapolis Preparatory School, Thomaston CT

Alexis Holmes, 2017-18 Girls Track & Field, SPR, Cheshire Academy, Cheshire CT

Brittany Jones, 2016-17 Girls Track & Field, FLD, Bloomfield HS, Bloomfield CT

Jessica Drop, 2015-16 Girls Track & Field DIS, Coginchaug Reginal HS Durham CT

Danae Rivers 2014-15 Girls Track & Field DIS, Wilbur Cross HS New Haven CT

Danae Rivers 2013-14 Girls Track & Field DIS, Wilbur Cross HS New Haven CT

Claire Howlett 2012-13 Girls Track & Field DIST, Westhill HS Westhill CT

Precious Holmes 2011-12 Girls Track & Field SPR, Hillhouse High School New Haven CT

Precious Holmes 2010-11 Girls Track & Field SPR, Hillhouse High School New Haven CT

Lindsay Crevoiserat 2009-10 Girls Track & Field DIS, Glastonbury HS Glastonbury CT

Meg Ryan 2008-09 Girls Track & Field DIS, Fairfield Warde HS Fairfield CT 

Anna Shields 2007-08 Girls Track & Field DIS, Lewis Mills HS Burlington CT 

Shaniqua Burgess 2006-07 Girls Track & Field SPR, Hillhouse High School New Haven CT 

Tynisha McMillan 2005-06 Girls Track & Field SP/DT, Stamford High School Stamford CT 

Natasha Harvey 2004-05 Girls Track & Field Spr, HRD/LJ, Hill Regional Career HS New Haven CT 

Shanea Calhoun 2003-04 Girls Track & Field SPR/Relay, Wilbur Cross High School New Haven CT 

Meghan Owen 2002-03 Girls Track & Field, DIS, Killingly H.S. Danielson CT 

Meghan Owen 2001-02 Girls Track & Field, DIS, Killingly H.S. Danielson CT 

Chelsea Lenge 2000-01 Girls Track & Field, DIS, Conard HS W. Hartford CT 

Nicole Toney 1999-00 Girls Track & Field SPR, HURD, LJ Conard West Hartford CT 

Jessica Schenk 1998-99 Girls Track & Field, MDIS, Fitch Senior Groton CT 

Rachel D'Amora 1997-98 Girls Track & Field, SPR, Wilbur Cross New Haven CT 

Shayla Wallace 1996-97 Girls Track & Field, SPR, Northwest Catholic West Hartford CT 

Shayla Wallace 1995-96 Girls Track & Field, SPR, Northwest Catholic West Hartford CT 

Stephanie Littlejohn 1994-95 Girls Track & Field, MDIS, Bloomfield Bloomfield CT 

Ann Crouse 1993-94 Girls Track & Field, JT, Stonington Pawcatuck CT 

Liz Mueller 1992-93 Girls Track & Field, MDIS, Waterford Waterford CT 

Liz Mueller 1991-92 Girls Track & Field, MDIS, Waterford Waterford CT 

Cristal Nelson 1990-91 Girls Track & Field, HUR/ LJ Norwich Free Academy Norwich CT 

LeAndrea Banks 1989-90 Girls Track & Field, SPR, Bloomfield Bloomfield CT 

Cindy Davis 1988-89 Girls Track & Field, DIS, Darien Darien CT 

Margaret Barbour 1987-88 Girls Track & Field, DIS, Cheshire Cheshire CT 

Dorothy Raterman 1985-86 Girls Track & Field, HURD, Hall West Hartford CT