National high school 3,000-meter record holder joins Neuqua Valley IL and Stanford graduate Chris Derrick as only recipients in Gatorade program history to capture both individual and team championships at NXN

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Perhaps it was only fitting that Chris Derrick, the former Neuqua Valley IL and Stanford distance running star, was the color analyst during the Webcast for the boys championship race Dec. 7 at Nike Cross Nationals in Portland, Ore.

A three-time USATF men’s cross country champion from 2013-15, he watched as Newbury Park CA senior Nico Young set the all-time 5-kilometer record of 14 minutes, 52.3 seconds at Glendoveer Golf Course, joining Derrick as both an individual and team national champion in the same year at Nike Team Nationals or NXN.

Young, 17, joined Derrick in elite company again Thursday with his recognition as Gatorade National Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year.

NICO YOUNG INTERVIEW | NEWBURY PARK COACH SEAN BROSNAN INTERVIEW | GATORADE SURPRISE ANNOUNCEMENT

He was surprised by family, friends, coaches and teammates in the school cafeteria after being taken out of biology class by Newbury Park athletic director Michael Godfrey, who informed Young of an impromptu team meeting.

Derrick was the inaugural recipient of the Gatorade national boys cross country award in 2008, after capturing the 2007 Nike Team Nationals individual title and leading Neuqua Valley to a two-point victory over Los Alamos, N.M.

Young, who led the Panthers to a four-point triumph over California rival Great Oak to capture their first national title, also joined 2012 boys cross country award winner Futsum Zienasellassie of North Central IN as the only Northern Arizona signees in any sport to receive Gatorade national recognition in any sport.

“It definitely means a lot,” Young said. “It’s really cool to be able to share it with so many of those amazing accomplished athletes, so it’s just awesome to be on (the trophy) as a part of it, too.”

Young followed his historical performance at NXN by breaking the national high school 3,000-meter record Feb. 8 with a 7:56.97 indoor effort at the 113th NYRR Millrose Games at The Armory in New York.

In doing so, he eclipsed the 2016 record of 7:59.33 set by Loudoun Valley VA graduate Drew Hunter, the 2016 Gatorade national boys cross country honoree.

Young also joined 2010 and 2011 boys cross country recipient Lukas Verzbicas of Sandburg IL, the national outdoor 2-mile record holder, along with St. Benedict’s NJ graduate Edward Cheserek – the national indoor 2-mile and 5,000-meter record holder – in achieving both feats during his high school career.

“Seeing their accomplishments, that’s much more of a recent thing for me,” Young said. “That’s really awesome to be a part of that as well.”

Newbury Park coach Sean Brosnan began making strong statements to colleagues, fellow coaches and media as early as Young’s sophomore year that his star athlete had the potential to develop into one of the all-time great American prep distance runners.

Following an undefeated senior season that included the all-time high school 3-mile cross country performance 13:39.7 at the Woodbridge Classic, the second- and third-fastest 5-kilometer times ever run at Woodward Park in Fresno, along with Division 2 titles at the section and state levels, before his record-setting championship run at NXN, Brosnan felt Young earning the Gatorade national award was the final piece to the prestigious puzzle.

“This was something in the back of his mind he was actually hoping he would be in contention of getting,” Brosnan said. “It’s amazing because a lot of times, even in the past, I thought last year going into certain races, he wasn’t quite getting the recognition or the credit I felt like he deserved. Even in cross country, I think it was hard for me as his coach because I knew what he was capable of and I knew how good he was and then I watched him do these great things and all this great stuff.

“I think honestly at the end of the day, this was the validation of that. It showed that there are other people noticing that this is what he does and that he’s put himself on that stage with these other greats and it’s going to be pretty cool.”

Having a cool demeanor, even in intense, emotional and high-pressure situations, has benefited Young throughout his career, despite the stakes and competition being raised with each race and season.

“I always say nothing seems to rattle him. Even being in New York, standing there against all the pros, he doesn’t seem to get rattled and I think that’s a trait and you can’t teach that to somebody,” Brosnan said. “I don’t think I could have done that and I don’t know many kids who could have done that. With the level that he’s running at and to always put himself in a situation, whether it’s running against pros or against (elite high school athletes), he would never be scared to do it. I think he’s able to focus on himself and not worry about his competition and I think that’s a trait he does amazingly too.”

In addition to his race achievements, Young was also selected for the award based on his 4.68 weighted GPA and his volunteer work for the past three summers, working with underprivileged youth as a camp assistant at Many Mansions.

“I definitely try to be well-rounded and try really hard in school and just try to be a good person in general,” Young said. “That’s something that I value and I think that’s awesome that they value that as well.”

When Young reflected on the fall season, in addition to the memorable championship sweep at NXN, he pointed toward the Oct. 12 race at the ASICS Clovis Invitational and his showdown with Highland AZ senior Leo Daschbach as his most demanding. Young ran 14:28.9 at Woodward Park – a time he later improved to 14:28.5 at the California state meet – and Daschbach clocked 14:30.9 to become the Nos. 2 and 3 performers in course history.

“I think the race that physically and mentally challenged me the most was Clovis. That race, definitely, because I hadn’t run the course yet the whole year and I wasn’t sure what I was capable of,” Young said. “That definitely meant a lot. That race definitely changed the trajectory for the season. I think that race was really telling of how I would do at the national meet. My coach knew that and he talked to me about it and that kind of set us forward for what we would prepare to do for NXN.”

After a fourth-place finish at NXN as a junior, Young knew the experience would be beneficial for his final appearance in December, just like it was for last year’s Gatorade national winner Liam Anderson of Larkspur Redwood CA, who improved from third in 2017 to capture the individual title as a senior before heading to Stanford.

Young and Anderson joined 2009 girls winner Jordan Hasay of Mission Prep and 2013 recipient Sarah Baxter of Simi Valley as the only California athletes to receive Gatorade national cross country recognition.

“I think it meant a lot going back as a senior. I think my junior year was kind of learning how everything went there and we came back with a goal and ambition and we really wanted to meet the goals that we had set. I think it was really meaningful,” Young said. “The one I was most proud of was probably NXN just because of my individual accomplishment and our team’s accomplishments.”