Gatorade® National Boys Track & Field Athlete Of The Year: Armand "Mondo" Duplantis

LAFAYETTE, La., June 29, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- In its 32^nd year of honoring the nation's best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company today announced Armand "Mondo" Duplantis of Lafayette High School (Lafayette, La.) as its 2016-17 Gatorade National Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year. Duplantis was surprised with the news at a local restaurant in Lafayette, La..

Check out the surprise video here.

The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the track, distinguishes Mondo as the nation's best high school boys track & field athlete. A national advisory panel comprised of sport-specific experts and sports journalists helped select Mondo from nearly 580,000 boys track & field athletes nationwide. Duplantis is now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade Male High School Athlete of the Year award, to be presented at a special ceremony prior to The ESPY Awards in July.

The 5-foot-11, 147-pound junior continued to redefine the pole vault event this season, both in the high school realm and beyond. With a clearance of 19 feet, 4.25 inches at the Texas Relays this spring, he shattered the national high school record by nearly a foot. The jump also set a World Junior (Under-20) record and represented the highest clearance in the world in 2017—regardless of age—at the time of his selection. Duplantis has now cleared 18 feet six times outdoors—twice as many as any prep in history. At the state level, he won his third consecutive Louisiana pole vault championship outdoors and also took second in the long jump with a leap of 23-5.5 to lead the Lions to a third-place finish as a team in Class 5A. His long jump was the nation's No. 147 all-conditions leap among prep competitors in 2017 at the time of his selection. His spectacular outdoor season, which will continue at the European U20 Championships in Italy and the senior IAAF World Championships in London this summer, comes on the heels of a record-breaking indoor campaign in which he became the first prep to clear 19 feet. His vault of 19-1 at the New Balance Nationals Indoor in March also set a World Junior record.

"Mondo not only raised the standard for high school pole vaulting, but redefined the potential in the event for teenagers around the world," said Erik Boal, editor for Dyestat.com. "He thrives on the biggest stage and there is no telling what possibilities lie ahead for him in the coming year after his assault on the national high school and World Junior record books this spring. Not only has he brought a heightened level of attention to the pole vault in the U.S., but also increased appreciation and respect for the event around the world."

Duplantis is committed to promoting his sport, which remains a niche discipline in U.S. prep track, conducting free clinics for youth athletes in the community, both on pole-vaulting technique and stretching. He also volunteers regularly at junior varsity and middle school track meets, offering instruction and acting as a meet official. He is also known to be outspoken about the importance of setting goals when he guides and instructs youth athletes.

Duplantis has maintained a 3.29 GPA in the classroom and will begin his senior year of high school this fall.

"Mondo embodies everything we look for in a Gatorade Player of the Year recipient," said Gatorade Senior Vice President and General Manager Brett O'Brien. "In addition to being one of the best high school boys track & field athletes in the country, Mondo has excelled in the classroom and been a positive influence in his community. He is a role model for younger student-athletes to look up to and we are excited to see all the things he will accomplish in the future."

As a part of Gatorade's cause marketing platform "Play it Forward," Duplantis also has the opportunity to award a $1,000 grant to a local or national youth sports organization of his choosing. He is also eligible to win one of twelve $10,000 spotlight grants for his organization of choice, which will be announced throughout the year. 

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 high school sports leadership team in partnership with the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which work with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport.

Former notable Gatorade National Players of the Year include:

• Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Peyton Manning
• 2015 NBA first overall pick Karl-Anthony Towns
• Three-time WNBA champion Maya Moore
• Seven-time track & field gold medalist Allyson Felix
• Three-time beach volleyball gold medalist Kerri Walsh
• Three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw

For more information on the Gatorade Player of the Year program, including nomination information, a complete list of former winners, and future announcement dates, visit the Gatorade Player of the Year Web site at http://www.gatorade.com/poy, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GatoradePOY or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Gatorade.

SOURCE The Gatorade Company