Congratulations to Mitch! We are all proud of his accomplishments and wish him well at USA Juniors today.
Trojans' Greeley named South Carolina's top male athlete
Published: Wednesday, June, 23rd, 2004
By Barry Byers The Herald
Northwestern High School's Mitch Greeley has been named Gatorade's South Carolina Track and Field Male Athlete of the Year.
Greeley, who signed a scholarship with Clemson, is the three-time defending Class AAAA state champion in the pole vault. At this year's meet, Greeley set the state record with a vault of 16 feet, 9 inches.
The record stands as the second-best vault among high schoolers in the country this year.
'I feel pretty good,'' Greeley said over the phone Tuesday afternoon. 'This is an exciting honor to win. At the beginning of the season, I started working out and working on my speed. I was determined to go higher this year and that's what has pushed me all season long.''
Greeley is on a Western swing that began on June 2 with stops at three national meets.
On June 2, Greeley won at the Great Southwest Classic in Albuquerque, N.M., with a vault of 16-5.
Then it was on to Sacramento, Calif., where Greeley recorded a 15-0 height at the Golden West Classic.
'It wasn't one of my best jumps, but I was pleased,'' Greeley said. 'I finished somewhere around tenth. The one I'm gearing for is in College Station (Texas) on Friday.''
That would be the third and final meet on his tour, the United States Track and Field Junior Championships at Texas A&M University.
'I'd like to jump over 17 feet,'' Greeley said. 'This has been a good trip and it would be a good ending to win at Texas and go over 17 feet.
'I've been doing quite a bit of sight seeing. I've been to Yosemite National Park and the Grand Canyon. And I've been able to get in some rock climbing, which is my first love.''
The Gatorade High School Player of the Year program recognizes one winner in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia in football, basketball, volleyball, baseball, softball, soccer and track and field.
Each state winner, selected by a panel of sport-specific experts and a National Media Advisory Board, is chosen based on his or her accomplishments on and off the field of play. The criteria include an athlete's achievements in the classroom and overall character.
By winning the state honor, Greeley is entered into a pool with the other winners from around the country. Later this month, Gatorade will announce its National High School Boys' and Track and Field Athlete of the Year.
South Carolina's girls' winner is J.L. Mann's Heather Nesbitt, who was unable to compete in the state meet because of an injury.
Nesbitt, a 4.4 student who will attend the University of South Carolina, dominated Region 3-AAA in the 100, 200 and 400 meters and as part of the school's 1,600-meter relay team.
