Keegan Leverett wins St. Stanislaus’ first-ever Gatorade Mississippi XC POY
BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. (BVM) — Being first at something can have its advantages. In the case of Keegan Leverett, he is the first athlete from St. Stanislaus College High School to be named Gatorade Mississippi Cross Country Player of the Year.
“I didn’t even know I was the first person,” Leverett said. “It was a great feeling. Gatorade Player of the Year is a pretty big one [award] I didn’t expect to get.”
Leverett, a 5-foot-10, 140-pound senior for the Rock-A-Chaws, helped his team to a second-place finish in the Class 3A state cross country championship last season. Leverett broke the finish line in 15:45.20; the fastest time at the state meet. Leveret also won the Mississippi Cross Country All-State Meet of Champions with a time of 15:39.39.
Bringing that dominance to courses in Mississippi, it led to Leverett becoming a four-time all-state selection and three-time state champion.
Keegan Leverett wins the 2021 Mississippi All-State Meet of Champions boys race with a time of 15:39.3!!!🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/1mlCfjGNRf
— MileSplit MS (@MileSplitMS) November 13, 2021
Keegan Leverett of Saint Stanislaus has officially been named the 2021 Gatorade Mississippi Player of the Year in Cross Country, and well deservedly at that!!
A big MileSplit Mississippi to Keegan and Coach D.P. Daigle on a fantastic season! 🙌💯
— MileSplit MS (@MileSplitMS) January 31, 2022
Leverett’s love for running had an unusual beginning. His own mother would make him and his twin brother run after getting home from school. It was a way to stay healthy, but Leverett quickly found his love for the sport.
“In about third grade, my mom started making me run every day after school,” Leverett said. “She thought it was good for us. She didn’t have any intention of us being athletes, but after every day we’d take off our backpacks and run down the road. It was two miles every day and that’s what kind of started it [the passion for running]. Not because I loved it, I hated most of it, but then I realized I was pretty good at it. She just thought it was the right thing to do. To work out.”
Through his high school career, Leverett has dominated athletically. He has also mastered the classroom and has spent a good amount of time volunteering.
He has continued to maintain a 4.5 weighted GPA and was inducted into the Mu Alpha Theta mathematics honor society. Leverett is also a part of the Hancock Youth Leadership Academy and the Hancock Youth for Positive Efforts.
Being the driven competitor that he is, Leverett can find his way to the collegiate ranks and continue his running career. He was originally committed to Oklahoma but has recently decided not to attend OU.
“He’s got an invitation to walk-on at a couple places [colleges],” St. Stanislaus College High School cross country head coach Coach David-Paul Daigle said. “But we’re both just kind of realizing that the competition in other states is a bit stiffer than it is here in Mississippi. So as great as a runner he is, some college programs are looking for even more than he can do now…It’s a pretty competitive market.”
There’s no doubt that Leverett can compete with the best at the next level. And he has proved that he can get better over time. He just needs the opportunity to prove it.
“He’s a self-starter, ” Daigle said. “He joined our program in the seventh-grade and was an All-State selection that year. You don’t have to worry about if Keegan is running on his own…Keegan is always holding up his end of the bargain. He’s an incredibly hard worker, he leads by example and his dedication to his craft is evidence [of that].
“His ability to punish himself in training [is special to see]. A lot of kids when they reach that point of pain and they taper off. Keegan runs through all that stuff. If he decides to run at the next level, whatever that coach throws at him, as far as a workout, he’s going to be able to get through it because he’s used to punishing himself.”
Leverett’s journey has been a special one. Where and if it’ll continue is still to be determined, but his family, coaches and teammates have been there for him. And the sport of running will mean a lot to him as he continues down the road of life.
“Running is the purest way of developing yourself,” Leverett said. “You’re just grinding all the time; I think it’s the best way to become disciplined. I just feel great doing it.”
