FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — In its 37th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Hudson Betts of Fayetteville High School is the 2021-22 Gatorade Arkansas Boys Cross Country Player of the Year. Betts is the third Gatorade Arkansas Boys Cross Country Player of the Year to be chosen from Fayetteville High School.
The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Betts as Arkansas’ best high school boys cross country player.
The 6-foot, 145-pound junior won the Class 6A state meet this past season with a time of 15:50.28, breaking the tape 9.13 seconds ahead of his next-closest competitor and leading the Bulldogs to a second-place finish as a team. Unbeaten against in-state competition, Betts earned Third Team All-South Region honors by finishing 36th at the Eastbay South Regional Championships and he ran a state-best time of 15:23 at the national Garmin RunningLane Cross Country Championships Silver race.
Betts has volunteered locally as a member of the Fayetteville High Dawg Crew, a student-leadership club that helps with freshman orientation. He has also donated his time to the Special Olympics and he’s active member of his church community. “Hudson ran at a very high level this season,” said Mike Power, head coach of Bentonville High School. “He is a dedicated athlete who not only performs for his individual accolades, but is a team player as well.” Betts has maintained a 3.68 GPA in the classroom. He will begin his senior year of high school this fall.