King Philip's Mike Griffin Named Gatorade MA Runner Of The Year

WRENTHAM — Mike Griffin ran away with a state title in Gardner in November. Now the King Philip senior is a runaway winner of the Gatorade Massachusetts Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year honor.

Griffin was chosen for the award following a tremendous senior season that included the state title, and eighth-place finish at the Foot Locker Regional Cross Country Championships and a 36th-place finish at Nationals. He beat the next-closest competitor in the Division 1 state race by more than seven seconds on Nov. 16 at Gardner Municipal Golf Course.

"Since the very first day of cross country practice in August 2016, Mike has pursued greatness in running while also showing incredible humbleness, and a team-comes-first spirit that has earned him the love of his teammates and respect from his opponents," KP coach Chris Elgar said. "As cliche as this sounds, every accolade that he has earned has come from his incredible determination."

The Gatorade Player of the Year awards recognize athletic excellence, high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character on and off he field. The state winners are automatic finalists for Gatorade National Runner of the Year honors.

Griffin, who has signed a National Letter of Intent to run at the University of Tennessee, volunteered for a Leukemia research campaign and has helped in the area as a youth track coach.