Knoxville Webb's Colin Eckerman wins Gatorade Tennessee boys cross country runner of year

Knoxville Webb senior Colin Eckerman was named the 2023-2024 Gatorade Tennesseeboys cross country runner of the year.

By winning player of the year honors for the state, Eckerman becomes a finalist for the Gatorade boys cross country runner of the year award that is set to be announced later this month.

The 5-foot-11, 145-pound senior finished first in the Division II-AA state championship with a time of 14:51.54. He finished 12th in the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships National Final with a time of 15:35.1 to capture third team All-America honors.

Eckerman took sixth at the NIKE Cross Southeast Regional Championship in a personal best time of 14:49.9 – a new school record – to earn first-team All-Region recognition and a berth to the NIKE Cross Nationals where he finished 25th.

ALL-AREA TEAM:Knox News All-PrepXtra girls and boys cross country teams for 2023

Eckerman, a Furman signee, is the sixth Webb athlete to be named a Gatorade athlete of the year for Tennessee and the second to do it in cross country. Cross country runner Carter Coughlin, who went to Wake Forest, received the honor in 2018.

Toyloy Brown III is a Knox News sports reporter. Email toyloy.brown@knoxnews.com. On X, formerly Twitter, @TJ3rd_.