As the 2020-21 school year comes to a close, awards are being given out. Among these notable people includes one of Melissa’s own–senior Judson Greer. He won the prestigious Gatorade Texas Boys Cross Country Player of the Year Award. This is their 36th consecutive year, with Greer being the first athlete from Melissa to win this award.

Athletes are picked based on both their athletic and academic performance. This year alone, Greer competed in many high-ranking races, including his third consecutive Class 4A individual state championship. He also won the national XC Town USA Meet of Champions, district, regional, and the Lovejoy Fall Festival. He also has signed a letter of intent to run for the University of North Carolina this fall.

In addition, Greer has maintained a 4.67 GPA throughout his athletic career, making him both an outstanding athlete and student.

The process for this award is the following: First, Gatorade finds athletes who stand out in their fields and nominates them for the award. Once nominated, Greer was asked to fill out several forms detailing his career highlights and additional information.

Greer described what winning this award meant to him.

“I am very grateful and excited to have received this award,” he said. “I am currently dealing with an injury, which resulted in missing the vast majority of my track season, but it was amazing to receive this award during this time to lift my spirits and keep me motivated.”

He will move on to the next chapter of his life with his graduation only a few weeks away. He leaves Melissa with these last words:

“Though my Melissa High School running career is over, I am thankful for the time I had here and for the memories I have made with my teammates. I hope I have inspired people to run, and I encourage any younger kids to give running a try and join the cross country team!”