Candace Hill of Rockdale County was named on Thursday the Gatorade national girls track and field athlete of the year.
Hill, a 5-foot-8 rising junior, became the first high school girl to break the 11-second barrier in the 100-meter dash, clocking a time of 10.98 at last week's Brooks PR meet. The record-setting performance makes her the world's fastest junior (under age 20) in the event and she ranked No. 10 worldwide among women of all ages at the time of her selection.
Hill won the 200-meter dash with a state-record time of 23.05 seconds as well as the 100 in a state-record 11.34 at Georgia's Class AAAAAA meet this spring in Albany. Hill also won the Adidas Dream 100, the 200 at the Prefontaine Classic and both the 100 and 200 at the Great Southwest Classic. Hill's season-best times in the 100 and 200 rank as the nation's No. 1 performances among prep competitors in 2015.
Hill is now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade female high school athlete of the year award, to be presented at a special ceremony prior to The ESPY Awards in July.
Hill has maintained a weighted 4.61 GPA in the classroom. An inductee into the National Society for High School Scholars, Hill is a member of her school's Junior Beta Club and serves as an ambassador on behalf of the Rockdale Magnet School for Science and Technology. She has also donated her time to a variety of charity drives to help the needy, including the Berean Christian Church clothing drive and the RMSST Food Pantry drive to benefit the Rockdale Emergency Relief Center, in addition to participating in holiday toy drives with multiple philanthropic organizations.
About the Author
