Gatorade: Henry Farrington of Essex named Vermont's top runner

Essex's Henry Farrington has been named the best Vermont high school boys cross-country runner for the 2018 season, Gatorade announced on Monday.

Farrington, a junior, is the first runner from Essex to earn the honor since its inception in 2007, a news release stated. The award recognizes athletic excellence, high academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the race course.

The 5-foot-10, 145-pound Farrington soared to the Division I individual state crown in the fall, touring the 5-kilometer course at Thetford Acadmey in 16 minutes, 35.6 seconds, as the Hornetes claimed the second of back-to-back team championships.

Farrington also won his home invitational meet and the NVAC Metro championships and placed second at the Woods Trail Run.

After taking 13th at the New England meet as Vermont's top finisher, Farrington raced to 14th overall at Northeast regionals.

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“Henry wants to be one of the top runners in the Northeast and he’s starting to show that he is,” Essex coach Eric Langevin said in a news release. “He really progressed this year and learned from mistakes of the past. He came into the season wanting to be undefeated in Vermont and he did just that.”      

A member of his school’s student government, Farrington has served as a mentor for younger students and has volunteered locally on behalf of the Essex Fire Department. He's also maintained a B average in the classroom, the news release said.

As a part of Gatorade’s cause marketing platform “Play it Forward,” Farrington has the opportunity to award a $1,000 grant to a local or national youth sports organization of his choosing. He is also eligible to submit an essay to win one of twelve $10,000 spotlight grants for the organization of choice, which will be announced throughout the year.

To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, check out past winners or to nominate student-athletes, visit www.Gatorade.com/POY.