HOUSTON – Strake Jesuit’s Matthew Boling has been named the Gatorade National Boys Track and Field Player of the Year.
The high school senior won the 100-meter dash at the state meet earlier this year with a time of 10.13 seconds.
“It’s really cool,” Boling said. “At the beginning of this year, I just wanted to win the state one, but as the year progressed, I thought I actually had a chance to win, and it means a lot since it’s such a big award.”
This April, his wind-aided 9.98 in the 100 was the fastest all-conditions time ever by an American high school athlete.
“I just remember, there’s a five-second gap in between when we ran and the actual times popped up,” Boling said. “I was like, ‘OK, that was definitely under 10.1,’ and then I saw 9.98, and I was just, like, in shock. I knew it wasn’t legal, but only Trayvon Bromell and I have broken all conditions 10, so it was obviously a big accomplishment for me, and I was really happy with it.”
His season and personal-best long jump of 26-3.5 ranked No. 2 in the nation. He’s also been a winner in the classroom, maintaining a 4.23 GPA.
He has signed a National Letter of Intent to compete in track and field at the University of Georgia this fall.
His parents, Mark and Monique Boling, were on hand for the award presentation.
“It is overwhelming at times, but it’s also been a lot of fun," Monique Boling said. “Just watching him, he’s just amazing in the way that he’s handled it all. He’s handled it probably better than we have. He’s pretty amazing."
Sprinter Matthew Boling of Strake Jesuit reacts today to winning Gatorade Male Track Athlete of the Year . KPRC2 / Click2Houston
Posted by KPRC2 Randy McIlvoy on Wednesday, June 26, 2019