(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Arria Minor, a sophomore at Denver East, was named Colorado’s girls track and field athlete of the year by Gatorade on Thursday morning.
Minor won the 100-, 200- and 400-meter races at the Class 5A state meet in May. She also anchored the Angels’ 4×100 relay that finished second.
After the season, she was named the 5A athlete of the year as part of the all-state teams.
“She doesn’t take her abilities for granted and she knows that her successes hinge on hard work and dedication,” said Denver East coach Steve Kiper in a statement. “Not just on the track, but in the school hallways and life in general. She wants to be the best, and do her best.”
She now becomes a finalist for the national award, which will be announced later in June.
Minor, who has a 3.09 GPA, is the first girls track athlete from Denver East to win this award since Aspen Burkett won it in 1994. She is the ninth athlete from Denver East overall to win a Gatorade player of the year award.
Minor is just the third sophomore to win in the history of the award.