Stanford signee Patrick Koon takes Gatorade Florida Runner-of-the-Year honors

During Florida's 2023 high school cross-country season, Leon High senior Patrick Koon won the FSU Invitational, the 3A District 1 Championship, the 3A Region 1 Championship, the 3A State Championship, and the Foot Locker South Regional Championship. After all that winning on the turf, Gatorade named Koon their Florida Boys' Cross-Country Runner Of The Year.

Patrick Koon

Gatorade's press release sums up Koon's season as follows:

The 5-foot-11, 135-pound senior outraced a stacked field to win the Foot Locker South Regional Championships this past season with a time of 14:48.61. Leading up to his regional title, Koon won his third consecutive Class 3A State Championship to complete an unbeaten season against in-state runners. He also took 15th at Foot Locker Nationals to sew up Third Team All-America honors.

And off the course:

A member of the National Honor Society and also student body vice president at his school, Koon has volunteered locally as part of the Strides For Seizures initiative, which raises funds for patient programs at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. He has also donated his time with the School of Arts and Sciences summer camp. “Despite being afflicted with a bout of mono in the postseason, Patrick Koon willed himself to excellence in remaining the state’s premier talent this past season,” said Rich Gonzalez of PrepCalTrack. “A two-time Gatorade State Player of the Year selection, his lone loss came at Foot Locker Nationals, further solidifying his ranking among the best distance runners in Florida history.”

Koon isn't the first Tallahassee harrier to be honored by Gatorade. Matt Mizereck of Leon (2009), Sukhi Khosla of Leon (2014), Michael Phillips of Chiles (2017), and Ana Wallace of Chiles (2017) were also Gatorade Florida Cross-Country Runners Of The Year. However, Koon also received the award for the 2022 season, making him the only Capital City athlete to receive the title twice. In Florida history, the only other two-time Gatorade Florida Boys' Cross-Country Runners of the Year were Brian Atkinson of Melbourne (2007 and 2009) and Rheinhardt Harrison of Nease (2020 and 2021).


Track season is next for Koon, where the Leon senior is the defending state champion in the 3200, an event where he holds the state record of 8:44.95. Koon also owns the fastest 5000-meter mark in Florida prep history, an indoor 14:11.92. After wrapping up his final high school track season, Koon heads to Stanford University to continue his academic and athletic endeavors.

Gatorade Florida Cross-Country Runners of the Year, 2007 - 2023
Year	Boys	Grade	School	Girls	Grade	School
2007-2008	Brian Atkinson	Sophomore	Melbourne	Ashley Brasovan	Junior	Wellington
2008-2009	Brian Atkinson	Junior	Melbourne	Ashley Brasovan	Senior	Wellington
2009-2010	Matt Mizereck	Senior	Leon	Kathryn Fluehr	Junior	Community (Naples)
2010-2011	Jimmy Clark	Senior	Creekside	Kathryn Fluehr	Senior	Community (Naples)
2011-2012	Andres Arroyo	Senior	Colonial	Olivia Ortiz	Senior	Lakewood Ranch
2012-2013	Thomas Howell	Senior	Niceville	Bridget Blake	Senior	Dr. Phillips
2013-2014	Nick Diaz	Junior	Sunset	Emily Edwards	Senior	Fort Myers
2014-2015	Sukhi Khosla	Senior	Leon	Rafaella Gibbons	Frosh	Winter Park
2015-2016	Steven Cross	Senior	Merritt Island	Bailey Hertenstein	Sophomore	Riverview
2016-2017	Caleb Pottorff	Senior	Lincoln Park	Bailey Hertenstein	Junior	Riverview
2017-2018	Michael Phillips	Senior	Chiles	Ana Wallace	Senior	Chiles
2018-2019	Charles Hicks	Senior	Bolles	Tsion Yared	Junior	Pine Crest
2019-2020	Ethan Geiger	Senior	Robinson	Alyssa Hendrix	Senior	Riverview
2020-2021	Rheinhardt Harrison	Junior	Nease	Caroline Wells	Junior	Winter Springs
2021-2022	Rheinhardt Harrison	Senior	Nease	Caroline Wells	Senior	Winter Springs
2022-2023	Patrick Koon	Junior	Leon	Eliana Black	Frosh	Cambridge Christian
2023-2024	Patrick Koon	Senior	Leon	Addison Dempsey	Senior	Cardinal Mooney
Gatorade first awarded cross-country runner-of-the-year honors following the 2007 season.

Links

• "Leon High School Student-Athlete Named Gatorade Florida Boys Cross-Country Runner Of The Year"
  https://app.box.com/s/xharhdhqgjyxtpai4dcydomm59rf793g
  
  
• "Trouble Afoot! coverage of races won by Patrick Koon
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/Patrick%20Koon
  
  
• "Seminole-in-waiting Elizabeth Funderburk is Gatorade Georgia Girls Cross-Country Runner of the Year"
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/01/gatorade-ga-xc-roy-2017-2018.html
  
  
• "Ana Wallace of Chiles earns Gatorade Florida Girls Cross-Country Runner of the Year honors"
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/01/gatorade-fl-xc-roy-2017-2018.html
  
  
• "Michael Phillips adds Gatorade Florida Boys Cross-Country Runner Of The Year to his résumé"
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/02/gatorade-fl-boys-xc-roy-2017-2018.html
  
  
• Start your Runner-of-the-Year campaign at a race on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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