Norwayne’s Dillon Morlock named Gatorade Ohio Boys Track & Field Player of the Year

In its 39th year of honoring the nation’s most elite high school athletes, Gatorade recently announced Dillon Morlock of Norwayne High School is the 2023-24 Gatorade Ohio Boys Track & Field Player of the Year. Morlock is the first Gatorade Ohio Boys Track & Field Player of the Year to be chosen from Norwayne High School.

The award, which celebrates the nation’s top high school athletes for excellence on the field, in the classroom and in the community, distinguishes Morlock as Ohio’s best high school boys track & field player. From CEOs and coaches to star athletes, Gatorade Player of the Year winners showcase the power of sport, touting an all-star group of alumni that includes Alan Webb (2000-01, South Lakes High School, Va.), Kerron Clement (2002-03, Laporte High School, Texas) and Grant Fisher (2014-15 & 2013-14, Grand Blanc High School, Mich.).

The 6-foot-3, 225-pound senior throws specialist earned All-American status by taking fourth in the shot put at Nike Outdoor Nationals this past season. Morlock’s best throw of 71 feet, one inch at the WCAL Championships set a state record and ranked as the nation’s No. 3 effort among boys prep competitors in 2024 and No. 26 in prep history.

He delivered a personal-best in the discus at that same meet, winning the event with a throw of 203-9, which ranked ninth in the country this spring. Morlock also PR’d in the hammer throw (185-8.75) in 2024, recording the nation’s No. 44 effort in that event. His sweep of the discus and shot at the Division 2 state meet led the Bobcats to third place as a team.

Morlock has volunteered locally on behalf of the 2nd and 7 Foundation, a literacy outreach initiative. He has also donated his time as a youth football and track instructor in addition to his extensive involvement in the annual Community Tree Lighting Ceremony. A member of the Spencer Historical Society, he is assisting with the museum reconstruction project.

“Two top 10 national performances this spring, including an all-time ranking in the shot and a state record—wow,” said Rich Gonzalez of PrepCalTrack. “Morlock finished in the top four at two of the season’s most prestigious national meets and added a U.S. Top 50 hammer throw for good measure.”

Morlock has maintained a 3.33 GPA in the classroom. He has signed a National Letter of Intent to compete on scholarship at Michigan State University this fall.

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.

Morlock joins recent Gatorade Ohio Boys Track & Field Players of the Year Kaleb Nastari (2022-23, United Local High School), Nick Plant (2021-22, Canfield High School) and Justin Braun (2020-21, Westerville Central High School & 2019-20, Thomas Worthington High School), among the state’s list of former award winners.

As part of Gatorade’s commitment to breaking down barriers in sport, every Player of the Year also receives a grant to donate to a social impact partner. To date, the Gatorade Player of the Year program has provided more than $4.9 million in grants to winners across more than 1,900 organizations.

To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, check out past winners or to nominate student-athletes, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com or follow Gatorade on social media on Facebook at facebook.com/GatoradePOY, Instagram at instagram.com/Gatorade and X(Twitter) at x.com/Gatorade.

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