Johannes Swanepoel Named Gatorade Kansas Track And Field Athlete of the Year
July 26, 2010
CHICAGO –
In its 25th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with ESPN RISE, named Jayhawk signee Johannes Swanepoel of Shawnee Mission South High School as its 2009-10 Gatorade Kansas Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year. Swanepoel is the first Gatorade Kansas Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year to be chosen from Shawnee Mission South High School.
The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the track, distinguishes Swanepoel as Kansas’ best high school boys track & field athlete.
The 6-foot senior shattered his own state record in the javelin this past season, winning the event at the Class 6A state meet with a throw of 238 feet, 4 inches, second-best in the nation this year and the No. 3 distance in prep history. Swanepoel has captured three javelin state titles and twice won the event at the Kansas Relays.
Swanepoel has maintained a B average in the classroom. An active member of his church community, he has volunteered locally helping senior citizens with home renovation projects.
“Johannes is a tremendously talented athlete,” said Shawnee Mission South Head Coach J.J. Wannamaker. “In his eyes, he had a sub-par year as a junior. But his hard work and dedication over the winter translated into an historic senior campaign.”
Swanepoel will begin his freshman campaign at KU in August. He joins a Jayhawk men’s team that recently finished seventh at the 2010 NCAA Outdoor Championships.