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St. Agnes Academy junior pole vaulter and hurdler Claire Wetick has been named the 2026 Gatorade Tennessee Girls Track and Field Player of the Year, Gatorade announced on June 25.
Wetick had an outstanding junior season, winning the state TSSAA Division II-A state championship in the pole vault with a personal best and then-state-record clearance of 13 feet, 8 inches. She also finished second at the state championships in the 100 hurdles with a personal-best 14.75 seconds and third in the 300 hurdles with a personal-best 44.8.
"Claire is the most committed athlete I've ever been around," said Stars coach Jacob Reeves in the release. "I've never been around another athlete who has the work ethic, dedication and commitment to excellence that she does. One of her best attributes is that she's also a passionate supporter of her teammates. She's always very encouraging as she watches and hears about their performances."
Wetick is also an achiever in the classroom — where she maintained a 4.82 weighted GPA — and outside of it, where she serves as a business manager of the St. Agnes Student Government Association and "has volunteered locally leading a schoolwide recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month last October."
Following the TSSAA season, Wetick later competed at the Nike Outdoor Nationals in Eugene, Oregon, where she placed second in the pole vault. Her clearance of 13-8 this season was the seventh-best mark among high schoolers across the country.
This is Gatorade's 41st year bestowing this award, "celebrating the nation's best athletes for their excellence in sport, academics and community." Wetick joins a list of names across the country that includes Olympians like Sanya Richards-Ross and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.
Wendell Shepherd Jr. is The Commercial Appeal's high school sports beat writer. Reach Wendell at [email protected] or on X @wendellsjr_.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Claire Wetick named Gatorade Girls Track and Field Player of the Year in Tennessee
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Wetick had an outstanding junior season, winning the state TSSAA Division II-A state championship in the pole vault with a personal best and then-state-record clearance of 13 feet, 8 inches. She also finished second at the state championships in the 100 hurdles with a personal-best 14.75 seconds and third in the 300 hurdles with a personal-best 44.8.
"Claire is the most committed athlete I've ever been around," said Stars coach Jacob Reeves in the release. "I've never been around another athlete who has the work ethic, dedication and commitment to excellence that she does. One of her best attributes is that she's also a passionate supporter of her teammates. She's always very encouraging as she watches and hears about their performances."
Wetick is also an achiever in the classroom — where she maintained a 4.82 weighted GPA — and outside of it, where she serves as a business manager of the St. Agnes Student Government Association and "has volunteered locally leading a schoolwide recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month last October."
Following the TSSAA season, Wetick later competed at the Nike Outdoor Nationals in Eugene, Oregon, where she placed second in the pole vault. Her clearance of 13-8 this season was the seventh-best mark among high schoolers across the country.
This is Gatorade's 41st year bestowing this award, "celebrating the nation's best athletes for their excellence in sport, academics and community." Wetick joins a list of names across the country that includes Olympians like Sanya Richards-Ross and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.
Wendell Shepherd Jr. is The Commercial Appeal's high school sports beat writer. Reach Wendell at [email protected] or on X @wendellsjr_.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Claire Wetick named Gatorade Girls Track and Field Player of the Year in Tennessee
Continue reading...
