Smoody runs away with Gatorade award

Mat Smoody of Palatine High School has been named the Illinois boys track and field Athlete of the Year by The Gatorade Company, in partnership with RISE Magazine.

Smoody is the first such winner to come from Palatine High School. The award recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the track. Smoody is now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade national award to be announced later this month.

The senior middle-distance runner won the 800-meter event at the Class AA state meet for the second consecutive season with a time of 1:50.71, which ranked as the nation's No. 4 scholastic performance this spring at the time of his selection. Smoody also maintained a 3.13 GPA in the classroom. He volunteers on behalf of multiple community-service initiatives, donating his time to the Special Olympics and leading a fitness class for physically handicapped.

"He's a great kid, a solid student and an awesome teammate," said Palatine coach John Nalley. "He ran the 4-x-800 and 4-x-400 relays this year just so he could get more of his teammates to the state meet."

Smoody has committed to Wisconsin for the upcoming school year.

Smoody joins recent winners Evan Jager (2006-07 and 2005-06, Jacobs) and Adam Harris (2004-05, Wheaton North) among recent winners from the area.