Conard High School Student-Athlete Tess Sherry has been named the Gatorade Connecticut Girls Track & Field Player of the Year.
Conard’s Macy McPhee hands off to Tess Sherry (left) who ran the anchor leg in the 4x400m relay at the 2023 State Open on June 5, 2023. Photo credit: Craig Rosenberg (we-ha.com file photo)
By Ronni Newton
Tess Sherry completed her sophomore outdoor track season for West Hartford’s Conard High School on a high note, coming in 15th in the mile at the New Balance Nationals, on the heels of State Open and Class LL wins, and although school is out for the summer, this week she received one more accolade.
Gatorade announced Wednesday that Sherry has been named the 2022-2023 Gatorade Connecticut Girls Track & Field Player of the Year.
“Congratulations to Tess on this amazing award!” Conard girls track and field coach James Redman said in a text message. “I am so proud of her! This recognition is a true tribute to her character, work ethic, academic excellence and outstanding athletic ability,” he said.
“And thank you to the committee at Gatorade who selected Tess as Connecticut’s Gatorade Player of Year in Track and Field,” Redman added.
Tess Sherry. Photo credit: Ron Knapp, MySportsResults.com
Sherry, 5-foot-5, was a winner of the Connecticut State Open 1600-meter run in June, with a personal record of 4:48.77, helping Conard to a seventh-place team finish. The announcement from Gatorade noted that at the time of her election, her winning time ranked No. 40 nationally among girls prep competitors. She was the winner of both the 1600 and 3200 at the Class LL state meet, and her time in the mile at the New Balance Nationals (4:49.20) ranked No. 51 nationally among girls prep competitors in 2023.
She’s also a winner in the classroom, where she has a 4.37 weighted CPA heading into her junior year of high school and is member of the Spanish National Honor Society. Her work in the community includes volunteering at an elementary school and donating her time as a lifeguard at Hartford Country Club.
“Tess Sherry is one of the most improved distance runners in the country, enjoying significant breakthroughs this season from the 800 to the 3200,” Erik Boal, editor at DyeStat.com, said in a statement. “Sherry captured her first Open Meet state title in the 1600, continuing the legacy of family success achieved the previous four years by brothers Gavin, a former Gatorade Player of the Year in cross country and track, and Callum.”
Tess Sherry. Photo credit: Ron Knapp, MySportsResults.com
Sherry is the third Gatorade Connecticut Girls Track & Field Player of the Year to be chosen from Conard High School – and she’s also the second member of her family to be named a Gatorade Player of the Year. Her brother, Gavin, now a runner at Stanford University, is a three-time boys cross country Gatorade athlete of the year (2019-2020, 2020-2021, and 2021-2022) and also was the 2020-2021 boys track and field player of the year.
Both Tess and Gavin Sherry are twins – and their siblings, Liv and Callum – have also achieved great success on the track.
Previous Conard girls who were named the Gatorade Track & Field Player of the Year were Chelsea Lenge (2000-2001) and Nicole Toney (1999-2000). On the boys side, Conard’s Ahmed Haji won the award for the 2002-2003 year.
According to an announcement from Gatorade, “[the award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Sherry as Connecticut’s best high school girls track & field athlete.” Tess Sherry will now be in contention for the national track and field honor, which will be announced later this month.
Tess Sherry. Courtesy photo
About the Gatorade Player of the Year program
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.
Being a Gatorade Player of the Year means paying it forward for the next generation. Through Gatorade’s Play it Forward initiative, every Player of the Year receives a grant to give to one of Gatorade’s social impact partners, supporting Gatorade’s ambition to fuel the future of sport. To date, Gatorade Player of the Year winners’ grants have totaled more than $3.5 million across more than 1,300 organizations.
For nearly 40 years, Gatorade has honored high school athletes at the top of their game as teammates, supporting their communities and achieving academic success. From CEOs and coaches to star athletes and community leaders, Gatorade Player of the Year winners showcase the power of sport.
More information about the program, as well as details about the nomination process, can be found through the organization’s social media, on nFacebook at facebook.com/GatoradePOY, Instagram at instagram.com/Gatorade and Twitter at twitter.com/Gatorade.
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