Vanessa Abrahamson Blog: Cherry Creek’s Parker Wolfe Named Gatorade National POY

* Parker Wolfe was named Gatorade International of the Year on Thursday

Photo credit: Colorado MileSplit

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CHERRY CREEK, COLORADO — Parker Wolf had a sneaking suspicion something was wrong when he saw his father walking down the halls of Cherry Creek High School on Wednesday.

Only a few hours before he had been told about a mysterious interview he was supposed to be doing that, but nobody had really given him the details.

“That was a little bit fishy what was going on,” Wolfe said.

Like any inquisitive high schooler, he did some research. Maybe asked some questions.

“I kind of felt like something wasn’t right,” he added.

But he didn’t have long, and only a short time later he was led to it High school where he was welcomed by teammates, coaches, family and friends. An award has been announced.

Wolfe gave up his spontaneous detective work. He was shocked.

“I was still surprised,” he said. “I did not know.”

Five months after an unbeaten cross-country season during which Wolfe broke multiple records at the Heritage Distance Classic and the Class 5A Colorado State Cross Country Championships, and won his first national title at the RunningLane XC National Championships in November, he was named the Gatorade National of the year for his dedication.

It was nothing new, however.

Wolfe had been accumulating awards over the past few weeks and months.

In December, MileSplit Wolfe named his MileSplit50 Cross Country Athlete of the Year. Last week, Wolfe was called Gatorade’s Colorado State Player of the Year.

“It’s great,” said Wolfe, who will be going to the University of North Carolina next fall. “Especially with the year we canceled all national meetings. All other meetings do not continue. It’s really great. I’m super excited. I wasn’t really expected.”

But first, consider this: This summer, Wolfe was one of many across the United States to contract COVID-19. At one point, like many who questioned the long-standing effects of the virus, he wondered if he would be the same.

“Coming into the season and not knowing if I’m even going to be a contender for a national meet,” Wolfe said. “That’s definitely the icing on the cake, extra icing on the cake for me. Going through all these challenges throughout the season and getting paid off at the end is huge for me.”

Despite his fears, Wolfe stayed focused.

He allayed those doubts fairly early on by setting a new meeting record at October’s Heritage Distance Classic, setting a 5k best and Colorado soil record of 14:30.10.

About a month later, he set a new Colorado State record at the Class 5A Championships, posting a time of 15:10.40 at just over 6,000 feet.

“It’s pretty awesome,” Wolfe told the Denver Post at the time. “I never thought I would be here.”

But despite winning two very big races in the 2020 cross country season, he wasn’t done yet. Despite the cancellation of the Nike Cross Nationals and Foot Locker Nationals, Wolfe has his sights set on a national meet to wrap up his season.

Competing in the RunningLane National Cross Country Championships – arguably the most competitive competition of the season – he absolutely exceeded expectations by setting the nation’s best 5K time of 14:26.94 and in the closing moments of the race won a national title.

Wolfe’s recent championship upswing highlighted what was so special about his burgeoning talent.

The Cherry Creek senior showed patience, composure and the ability to turn it on when the moment really called for it. His victory at RunningLane remained his favorite moment of the season.

“I’ve seen all my friends, seen all the other UNC commits that I haven’t seen in a while,” he said. “And then winning that race and being able to keep that belt was a highlight of the season for me.”

Wolfe won five straight races in 2020, including two under 15-minute attempts. He finished his cross-country career with four sub-15 performances at 5K and has been top 10 at the Colorado State Championships for his last three seasons.

That fall, Wolfe was joined by Cherry Creek teammate Riley Stewart for Gatorade State Cross Country Player of the Year.

On Wednesday, his family and coaches were among those who attended the ceremony.

Cherry Creek has become a hotbed for state and national talent in recent years. Last year’s Gatorade Colorado State Player of the Year, Cherry Creek graduate Jana Van Gytenbeek was also in attendance.

“Coming into the season and not knowing if I’m even going to be a contender for a national meet,” Wolfe said. “That’s definitely the icing on the cake, extra icing on the cake for me. Going through all these challenges throughout the season and getting paid off at the end is huge for me.”

She recently won an NCAA title with Stanford.

Wolfe also met a friend from Philadelphia who flew in for the announcement.

He thanked everyone who was able to support him on his last run through the grounds.

“It was RIt’s really great to see my coaches and celebrate with them,” Wolfe said. “They have put a lot of work into helping me over the past four years. I know it’s exciting for them too. It’s cool that I can share with them.

“My parents too,” he added. “I know they put a lot of work into getting me two races out of state. You’ve helped me throughout my high school career.”

Wolfe joins an illustrious list of past Gatorade champions including last year’s winner Nico Young along with Grant Fisher, Drew Hunter and Edward Cheserek.

Young finished fourth at the NCAA Cross Country Championships for Northern Arizona last month.

“It’s really cool and to get the same award as Nico or Grant, these guys are really good runners,” said Wolfe. “Hopefully one day I will be at their level. I know next year I’ll be running with Nico in college and with the guys who won this award.”