GATORADE ARKANSAS BOYS TRACK & FIELD PLAYER OF THE YEAR
In its 39th year of honoring the nation’s most elite high school athletes, Gatorade announced Devyn Steingisser of Bryant High School is the 2023-24 Gatorade Arkansas Boys Track & Field Player of the Year. Steingisser is the third Gatorade Arkansas Boys Track & Field Player of the Year to be chosen from Bryant High School.
The award, which celebrates the nation’s top high school athletes for excellence on the field, in the classroom and in the community, distinguishes Steingisser as Arkansas’ best high school boys track & field player. From CEOs and coaches to star athletes, Gatorade Player of the Year winners showcase the power of sport, touting an all-star group of alumni that includes Alan Webb (2000-01, South Lakes High School, Va.), Kerron Clement (2002-03, Laporte High School, Texas) and Grant Fisher (2014-15 & 2013-14, Grand Blanc High School, Mich.).
The 6-foot, 265-pound senior throws specialist took sixth in the hammer throw at Nike Outdoor Nationals, launching the apparatus a state-record 207 feet, seven inches to earn All-American honors. Steingisser also took second in the discus and third in the shot at the Class 6A state meet, leading the Hornets to third place as a team. His hammer throw ranked No. 13 nationally among prep competitors this spring and he added a personal-best in the shot put with an effort of 55-11 at the Cyclone Relays. Devyn was coached by Steve Oury, Bryant High School's Head Boys Track/Cross Country Coach.
Steingisser has donated his time locally as a volunteer coach for the R&R Track Club. “Steingisser set a state record in the hammer throw and earned All-American honors at Nike nationals,” said Rich Gonzalez, editor of PrepCalTrack. “What’s more, he scored key points in the discus and shot put events at the state meet. He finished the season ranked among the nation’s Top 15 prep boys performers this spring in his signature event.”
Steingisser has maintained a 3.58 GPA in the classroom. He has signed a National Letter of Intent to compete on scholarship at the University of Central Arkansas this fall.
The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. The selection process is administered by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which leverages experts including coaches, scouts, media and others as sources to help evaluate and determine the state winners in each sport.
Steingisser joins recent Gatorade Arkansas Boys Track & Field Players of the Year DeAndra Burns (2022-23, El Dorado High School), Isaiah Sategna (2021-22 & 2019-20, Fayetteville High School) and Sam Hurley (2020-21, Fayetteville High School), among the state’s list of former award winners.
As part of Gatorade’s commitment to breaking down barriers in sport, every Player of the Year also receives a grant to donate to a social impact partner. To date, the Gatorade Player of the Year program has provided more than $4.9 million in grants to winners across more than 1,900 organizations.