Star Valley High School senior Jase Burton has been named the 2024-25 Gatorade Wyoming Boys Cross Country Player of the Year, marking the first time in his high school career that he has received this prestigious honor, WyoPreps.com reports.
The award, announced Thursday by The Gatorade Company, recognizes Burton for his achievements in athletics, academics, and community service.
Burton becomes the fourth athlete from Star Valley High School to win this award, joining previous recipients Habtamu Wetzel, Peter Visser, and Shane Henderson.
Burton’s standout season included winning the Class 4A state championship, where he finished with a time of 15:46.6, nearly 32 seconds ahead of his closest competitor—a teammate. His performance helped lead Star Valley to its third consecutive Class 4A team title.
Beyond the state level, Burton’s impressive 5K personal-best time of 14:55.30 at the NXN Northwest Regional earned him a runner-up finish. He went on to place 17th at the NXN National Championships in December. Over his high school career, Burton was a three-time all-state selection and consistently ranked among the top competitors at major regional meets, finishing as the top Wyoming runner at both the Bob Firman Invitational in Idaho (6th place) and the Hole In The Wall Invitational in Washington (7th place).
Rich Gonzales of PrepCalTrack praised Burton’s dominance, stating:
“Burton was essentially unchallenged as Wyoming’s best last fall. When you’re among the top two dozen high school distance runners in the country, you’re worthy of any award you get.”
Burton’s achievements extend beyond athletics. He has been class president throughout high school, serves as a leader in his church youth group, and volunteers with an elementary school program promoting healthy competition and active lifestyles. Academically, he maintains a 4.0 GPA, ranks first in his senior class, and is still deciding on his college destination.
Now in its 40th year, the Gatorade Player of the Year program honors top high school athletes nationwide for their accomplishments in sports, academics, and community service. As Wyoming’s best high school boys’ cross-country runner, Burton is now in the running for the Gatorade National Boys Cross Country Player of the Year, which will be announced later this month.
Additionally, as part of Gatorade’s initiative to support positive change in sports, every Player of the Year award winner receives a grant to donate to a social impact organization. To date, the program has donated more than $5.6 million across 2,000 organizations.
With this latest honor, Burton joins a distinguished list of Wyoming’s top high school cross-country athletes, including previous winners Habtamu Wetzel (2023-24), Owen Burnett (2022-23), and Mason Wheeler (2021-22).
