Raymond's Cooper Rodgers, Biloxi's Julie Segroves win Mississippi's Gatorade track and field awards

Gatorade announced its 2023-24 boys and girls high school track and field athletes of the year. Here are the winners from Mississippi.

Mississippi's 2024 Gatorade boys high school track and field athlete of the year

Raymond's Cooper Rodgers was selected as the winner of the 2024 Gatorade Mississippi track and field Player of the Year award. Rodgers is the first boys track and field athlete to be chosen from Raymond.

The 5-foot-9, 161-pound senior sprinter and Mississippi State signee, won the 200-meter dash as well as the 400 at the MHSAA Class 4A state meet this past season, leading the Rangers to fifth place. Rodgers’ personal-best time of 46.59 seconds in the 400 ranked tied for 21st in the nation among boys competitors this spring. His season best of 21.20 in the 200 ranked tied for No. 69. He also shared in a 4x400 relay title at the state meet as part of a quartet that ran a 3:25.51.

“A five-time state champion when you include the relay, Rodgers owned a Top 25 national time in the 400 this spring,” said Rich Gonzalez, editor of PrepCalTrack in a press release. “He also won two events and shared in a relay title at the state meet. Without those points, the Rangers finish 11th instead of top five.”

Rodgers joins recent Gatorade Mississippi boys track and field players of the year Sterling Scott (2022-23, Starkville), Jordan Anthony (2021-22 & 2020-21, Tylertown) and Cameron O'Neal (2019-20, Biloxi).

MORE: Pearl's Jaquavion Bryant, Hernando's Kaitlyn Burge win Gatorade cross-country award

Mississippi's 2024 Gatorade girls high school track and field athlete of the year

Biloxi's Julie Segroves was selected as the winner of the 2024 Gatorade Mississippi girls track and field award. Segroves is the first girls track and field player to be chosen from Biloxi.

The 5-2 junior pole vaulter won the MHSAA Class 7A state championship this past season, clearing 13-4 to help the Indians finish fifth. Segroves set the state record in the event a year ago with a clearance of 13-8. Her title-winning height this spring ranked tied for 18th nationally among high school girls.

“Julie Segroves didn’t quite reach the heights she did as a sophomore in her signature event, but she still finished among the nation’s top 20 prep girls this spring,” Gonzalez said. “Though the sport advanced past the 15-foot barrier last year, until 2015, only three girls in U.S. high school history owned a clearance as high as Julie has.”

Segroves joins recent Gatorade Mississippi girls track and field athletes of the year Heidi Hudson (2022-23, Sumrall), Kennedi Sanders (2021-22 and 2020-21, Madison Ridgeland Academy) and Brooklyn Biancamano (2019-20, Long Beach).

Michael Chavez covers high school sports, among others, for the Clarion-Ledger. Email him at mchavez@gannett.com or reach out to him on X, formerly Twitter @MikeSChavez.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: MHSAA track and field: Cooper Rodgers, Julie Segroves win Gatorade award