Denmark senior named Georgia Gatorade boys XC runner of year

Ethan Ashley is the Georgia Gatorade boys cross country runner of the year for 2021-22.

Credit: Denmark High School

Credit: Denmark High School

Ethan Ashley is the Georgia Gatorade boys cross country runner of the year for 2021-22.

Ethan Ashley, a senior at Denmark in Forsyth County, is the 2021-22 Georgia Gatorade boys cross country runner of the year, Gatorade announced Monday.

Ashley won the Class 7A meet a time of 15:45.78 in November in Carrollton.

Ashley also won the Eastbay South Regional in Charlotte in a personal-best 15:00.31 and finished 23rd, highest of any Georgia runner, at the national Eastbay Cross Country Championships in San Diego in 15:52.30. That earned him second-team all-America stratus.

Another winning finish came in the Coach Wood Invitational (15:01.39) at Whitesburg, Ga. Ashley was named the Atlanta Track Club all-metro boys runner of the year.

The Gatorade award recognizes athletic and academic achievement and character.

Ashley has been admitted to the Air Force Academy, where he will compete in track and cross country beginning this fall.