Ryan Watts runs down the 3A IHSA 1600m field at last month's state championship
On Wednesday, Gatorade released its state-by-state winners for its annual Player of the Year awards and recent Edwardsville High School graduate Ryan Watts was the recipient of the boy's award.
Watts, a tremendous favorite among his peers, completed an unheralded season in which he swept the 3A 1600m and 3200m state titles as well as helped his team earn a third-place trophy. Watts, who missed most of his junior year due to injury, returned with a vengeance, leading the state in the 1600m (4:07.52+) and second in the 3200 (8:54.09). Watts did not lose a meaningful competition in the state of Illinois in 2022.
Watts is an exemplary student-athlete graduating with a 3.88-grade point average and will head to Iowa State University this fall.
