Yardley named Gatorade athlete of the year

After announcing who Gatorade selected as its top girls track athlete of the year in Utah, I thought it only fair to reveal who was selected as the boys top athlete. I received a press release about it earlier this week, but dealing with allergies has put me a little under the weather the past couple of days.

Better to post it late than never, I guess.

Anyway, Syracuse sprinter Tyrell Yardley has been selected as the 2008-09 Gatorade Utah Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year. Yardley is now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year award.

As a junior, he set a state record and won three individual titles at this year’s Class 5A state meet. Yardley won the 200-meter dash in a state-record time of 21.48 seconds and eclipsed that mark earlier this month at the Great Southwest Classic when he crossed the line in 21.17. He also won the 100 meters in 10.75 seconds at the state meet and the 400 meters in 47.46.

Off the track, Yardley has maintained a 3.93 GPA and has been actively involved in several community service projects. Among these projects, he has volunteered as a teacher’s aide in local kindergarten classes and helped organize recycling efforts at Syracuse High.

Yardley joins ex-Judge Memorial standout Luke Puskedra (2007, 2008) and ex-Mountain View standout Adam McDonald (2006) among the athletes who have received this award.

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