Zacchaeus Brocks of Detroit Catholic Central is the 2025-26 Gatorade National Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year. The award was announced Tuesday evening, hours after Jason Richardson, the 2004 Gatorade National Boys Track & Field Player of the Year and an Olympic silver medalist, surprised the Ohio State signee with the news. Brocks earned the honor by becoming the only high school athlete in history to break the 13-second barrier with legal wind, per the announcement that named Brocks the Gatorade Player of the Year.
He ran a personal-best 12.98 seconds at Nike Outdoor Nationals, edging a Georgia freshman at the line in a photo-finish lean. The time ranks No. 6 all-time among U20 athletes and resets a prep record that had stood since 2009. With the selection, Brocks joins a list that includes Alan Webb, Kerron Clement and Tate Taylor, three names that have come to define the modern high school barrier-breaking tradition. The Gatorade award recognizes the nation’s top athlete across athletic excellence, academic achievement and exemplary character, and Brocks emerged from a field of more than half a million boys track and field athletes nationwide.
First Under 13 Seconds With Legal Wind
The 12.98 came on a single afternoon at Nike Outdoor Nationals at Hayward Field in Eugene, a meet staged in tandem with the USATF U20 Championships. Brocks and Le’Ezra Brown, a freshman at the University of Georgia, raced through the final in 12.98 seconds, with Brocks getting the lean at the tape, per the official Eugene recap that named Brocks’ 12.98. The wind reading on the race was 0.5 meters per second, comfortably under the 2.0 threshold for legal marks. The win reset a national prep record that had not fallen since 2009, with Brown’s 12.95 in the prelims setting the American U20 record.
The time in the 110 hurdles slots Brocks at No. 6 all-time among U20 athletes. Within the United States, it is a wind-legal prep first: Brocks is now the only high school athlete in history to break the 13-second barrier with legal wind. The milestone earned Brocks a place on a Gatorade list that includes Alan Webb, Kerron Clement and Tate Taylor.
The surprise was delivered in person before any public announcement was made Tuesday evening. Richardson, the 2004 Gatorade National Boys Track & Field Player of the Year and 2012 Olympic silver medalist in the 110 hurdles, flew in to make the presentation. Brocks learned the news directly from the 2004 winner. The two then spoke with High School On SI reporter Myckena Guerrero.
Brocks’s first reaction to the surprise was uncomplicated. ‘I was ecstatic,’ Brocks said. ‘This is kind of my first year really hearing about the award and seeing it. I was just really excited. It was a great moment.’ The historic run closed a senior season that opened with state titles and ended as a national record. He is an eight-time national champion and a 16-time All-American across indoor, outdoor and AAU competition, per the Gatorade Player of the Year profile. The same Eugene weekend produced two other U20 records and a sprint double from Tate Taylor, with Tate Taylor’s U20 sprint double from the same Hayward Field weekend rounding out the broader U20 picture.
A Michigan Sweep Before the National Stage
Brocks swept the Michigan Division 1 state championships in May, taking titles in both the 110 hurdles and the 300 hurdles while also helping Detroit Catholic Central win the 4×100-meter relay state championship. He remained unbeaten against in-state competition in both hurdle events throughout the spring. The state meet was the last time Brocks would race in a Michigan uniform before moving on to Ohio State in the fall.
- 12.98 seconds: 110m hurdles at Nike Outdoor Nationals, June 19, 2026; No. 6 all-time U20
- 13.26: 110m hurdles season-best, No. 1 in Michigan, No. 6 nationally (outdoor)
- 36.23: 300m hurdles personal-best, No. 1 in Michigan, No. 12 nationally
- 7.44: 60m hurdles at New Balance Nationals (indoor), US No. 2 all-time
- 41.50: 4x100m relay season-best
The state-best times Brocks posted this spring also ranked as top-tier national marks. His season-best 13.26 in the 110 hurdles ranked No. 1 in Michigan and No. 6 nationally among high school athletes during the outdoor season. His personal-best 36.23 in the 300 hurdles ranked No. 1 in Michigan and No. 12 nationally. MITCA also named him its 2026 Athlete of the Year in the same window.
- 110-meter hurdles state title (Division 1)
- 300-meter hurdles state title (Division 1)
- 4×100-meter relay state title (with Detroit Catholic Central)
The Shamrocks’ 4×100 relay team, with Brocks running a leg, posted a season-best 41.50 to deliver the Division 1 state title in the sprint relay. The state sweep was the spring chapter of a senior year that had started indoors and ended with the USATF U20 Championships in Eugene. The record-setting race closed the loop on a campaign that ran from January through June.
Three Pillars and a Faith-First Foundation
The Gatorade National Player of the Year award is built on three pillars, and Brocks’s off-the-track numbers helped set him apart from a national field of more than half a million boys track and field athletes. He has maintained a 3.19 GPA in the classroom while balancing an elite training and competition schedule, per the award profile listing Brocks’ times, GPA and community service. He has signed a written letter of athletic aid to compete on scholarship at The Ohio State University this fall. He has logged more than 60 hours of community service through his high school, with time spent volunteering locally for the homeless and underprivileged in a variety of capacities.
The selection weighs athletic excellence, academic achievement, and exemplary character equally. Brocks’s combination of times, grades, and hours moved him to the top of the national list. The GSSI testing and mentorship opportunities that come with the award will follow him to Columbus.
My faith is the key to everything in my life. It’s helped me stay grounded and know it’s all in God’s plan. This is another step in God’s journey, and I’m just happy to be a part of it.
Zacchaeus Brocks, 2025-26 Gatorade National Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year, in remarks after the announcement.
Brocks told the publication that faith is the through-line of his preparation. He also pointed to his parents and Detroit Catholic Central as the practical sources of his priorities off the track. Both shaped his sense of service, with Catholic Central elevating the through-line his parents set at home. The community-service pillar and the faith statement read as one continuous case for the award. Brocks now joins one of the most exclusive groups in high school sports history.
The off-the-track résumé is the part of Brocks’s profile that does not show up on a results page. The state-level honors and the U20 record were the visible half of what Gatorade weighed. The GSSI testing and mentorship that come with the award will carry the off-the-track half into his college career.
Jason Richardson Returns the Honor He Won in 2004
The award came as a surprise. Richardson, who won the 2004 Gatorade National Boys Track & Field Player of the Year and later took Olympic silver in the 110 hurdles at the 2012 London Olympics, flew in to make the presentation in person. Brocks learned the news directly from the 2004 winner before any public announcement was made. The two then spoke with High School On SI reporter Myckena Guerrero.
For Richardson, the moment was a chance to give back to a brand he credits with investing in the sport. The 2012 London silver medalist framed the handoff as part of a longer project to elevate high school track and field. Brocks’s selection, Richardson said, fits inside that same effort.
One thing I love about Gatorade is the investment that they put into the sport. To be an additional piece in pushing the narrative and pushing the support of high school sports forward is incredible.
Jason Richardson, 2012 Olympic silver medalist in the 110m hurdles and 2004 Gatorade National Boys Track & Field Player of the Year, in remarks after the surprise presentation.
The handoff also gave Brocks a chance to name what he wants the honor to mean. ‘I hope my legacy is someone who always honored God,’ Brocks said. ‘Someone who stayed humble, worked hard and always put their best foot forward.’ He delivered the line in the same interview where he learned of the selection.
What the Title Buys Him Before Ohio State
The award itself opens three concrete doors beyond the trophy. As Gatorade National Athlete of the Year, Brocks will receive access to personalized performance testing through the Gatorade Sports Science Institute, mentorship opportunities with elite athletes, and participation in community initiatives designed to support his growth on and off the track. The package slots in before he joins the Ohio State program in the fall.
- Alan Webb
- Kerron Clement
- Tate Taylor
Brocks joins a list that includes Alan Webb, Kerron Clement, and Tate Taylor, three names that have shaped the modern high school barrier-breaking tradition. The full list of past winners is maintained on the Gatorade Player of the Year website. The award joins a resume that already includes the MITCA Athlete of the Year and the 2026 New Balance Nationals Indoor 60m hurdles title. The summer ahead starts with a record, a trophy, and a fall semester in Columbus.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Gatorade National Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year?
The Gatorade National Player of the Year is awarded annually to the nation’s top high school athlete in a given sport, with the boys track and field honor built on three pillars: athletic excellence, academic achievement, and exemplary character. Brocks emerged from a field of more than half a million boys track and field athletes nationwide to earn the 2025-26 selection.
Who has won the Gatorade Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year before Brocks?
Past winners include Alan Webb, Kerron Clement, and Tate Taylor. The full list of recipients is maintained on the Gatorade Player of the Year website.
What does the Gatorade National Athlete of the Year award include?
Winners receive access to personalized performance testing through the Gatorade Sports Science Institute, mentorship opportunities with elite athletes, and participation in community initiatives designed to support continued growth on and off the track.
Where will Brocks compete next?
Brocks will compete on scholarship at The Ohio State University starting this fall.
