KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Knoxville Catholic sophomore runner Keegan Smith has been named Gatorade Tennessee Boys Cross-Country Player of the Year, announced Monday afternoon.
Smith is a back-to-back winner after earning the honor for the 2021-2022 season and is the second Knoxville Catholic product in school history to earn the honor for boys' cross-country. Jake Renfree received the accolade in 2018-2019.
The sophomore was the fastest Tennessean in the Saturday Light Fever Invitational Gold Varsity race this past season and logged a personal-best 14:53.6 over 5K to finish second in the event, according to a press release.
The 5-foot-8, 117-pound standout finished fourth at the Class AA meet this past season and helped Knox Catholic to a fourth-place team finish.
The state award for Smith also puts him in the running for the Gatorade National Boys Cross Country Player of the Year, which will be announced in February.