By HockomockSports.com Staff
Landon Sarney
Oliver Ames senior Landon Sarney added another accolade to his standout career, earning Gatorade Massachusetts Boys Cross Country Player of the Year honors following a dominant season last fall.
Sarney won the individual title at the Division 1 MIAA Meet of Champions in November, using a stunning surge in the last stretch to cross the finish line first just 0.26 seconds ahead of Natick’s John Bianchi. The OA senior also went undefeated in five dual meets during the regular season, setting three course records in the process, won the Hockomock League championship meet in Wrentham, and finished second in the D1C race.
Sarney is the fourth boys cross country runner from the Hockomock League to earn Gatorade Player of the Year honors for Massachusetts. He joins King Philip’s Mike Griffin (2019-2020), Mansfield’s Patrick McGowan (2009-2010), and OA’s Mike Moverman (2008-2009).
Below is a press release from Gatorade:
Oliver Ames senior Landon Sarney added another accolade to his standout career, earning Gatorade Massachusetts Boys Cross Country Player of the Year honors following a dominant season last fall.
Below is the full press release from Gatorade announcing Sarney’s selection.
CHICAGO (February 13, 2026) — In its 41st year celebrating the nation’s best high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Landon Sarney of Oliver Ames High School is the 2025-26 Gatorade Massachusetts Boys Cross Country Player of the Year.
Gatorade Player of the Year is the top honor in high school sports, celebrating the nation’s best high school athletes for their excellence in sport, academics and community. The award recognizes Sarney as Massachusetts’ best high school boys cross country athlete, and he joins an elite legacy that spans professional athletes and coaches to CEOs, such as Lukas Verzbicas (2009-10 & 2010-11, Carl Sandburg High School, IL), Edward Cheserek (2012-13, Saint Benedict’s Preparatory School, NJ) and Charlie Vause (2024-25, Rio Rancho High School, NM).
The 5-foot-10, 140-pound senior broke the tape at the MIAA Division 1 Meet of Champions this past season, clocking an all-class best time of 15:33.3 and leading the Tigers to seventh place as a team. The Boston Globe Division 1 All-Scholastic Athlete of the Year, Sarney followed up by taking 11th at the NXN Northeast Regional to earn Second Team All-Region honors. His runner-up finish at the Division 1-C state meet sparked Oliver Ames to the team title.
Sarney has volunteered locally at a youth track clinic and a community road race. He also works as a summer lifeguard at the Easton Town Pool. “Landon Sarney demonstrated impressive consistency last fall, finishing in the top five of every race he ran until NXN regionals while earning six victories,” said Rich Gonzalez, editor of PrepCalTrack. “He raced to four sub-15:30 times at 5K last fall and was at his best when it mattered most at the Meet of Champions.”
Sarney has maintained a 3.22 GPA in the classroom. He has signed a written letter of athletic aid to run at Northeastern University this fall.
The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one state winner from each of the 50 states and Washington, D.C., in 12 different sports: football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, baseball, softball, boys and girls soccer, and boys and girls track & field. In total, 610 high school athletes are honored each year.
From the pool of state winners, one national winner is selected in each of the 12 sports. 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 winners in each sport.
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 $6.4 million in grants to winners across more than 2,200 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 us on social media on Instagram at instagram.com/Gatorade, Facebook at facebook.com/GatoradePOY and X(Twitter) at x.com/Gatorade.