Albuquerque, New Mexico- Albuquerque Academy's Nicholas Ponte has won the 2025-26 New Mexico Cross Country Gatorade Player of the Year award which was announced via a GPOY press release Feb. 13.
"I am extremely excited to have won this award and am grateful to have my hard work start to pay off," Ponte said.
This season, the senior runner never lost a race in New Mexico, and was the district, metro, and state champion.
"I remember in 8th grade track when I was the slowest on the team and couldn't even race 2 miles, to now having a dominant xc season and winning the NM Gatorade runner of the year!" Ponte said.
During the Nike Cross Nationals Southwest Regionals Nov. 22, 2025, Ponte set a new PR, running a time of 15:03.29.
"I plan to continue to prove myself this track season, but I do know that when I step on the track, this award doesn't mean anything and that I will have to continue to put in more work and prove myself again and again," Ponte said.
The outdoor season in New Mexico is less than a month away, and Ponte, who has committed to Harvard, should also be a favorite to win the GPOY in track and field.
