Red Mountain senior Yan Vazquez winning the 300 meter hurdles at the 2022 AIA State Track & Field Championships in Mesa at Mesa Community College.
Photo credit: David McBee/MileSplit Arizona
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Yan Vazquez of Red Mountain is the 2021-2022 Gatorade Arizona Boys Track & Field Player of the Year. Vazquez is the first athlete from Red Mountain to win the award.
As well as winning the state award, Vazquez is now a finalist for the Gatorade National Boys Track & Field Player of the Year award that will be announced in July.
Vazquez went undefeated in the 300 meter hurdles this season, winning key meets like the Nike Chandler Rotary Invitational, Arcadia Invitational, Mt. Sac Relays and the AIA State Track & Field Championships. He set a new meet record at the prestigious Mt. Sac Relays. Vazquez's time of 36.40 in the 300mH ended the season No. 10 nationally. Vazquez also won the 110 meter hurdles at the AIA State Track & Field Championships, helping Red Mountain to a third-place finish.
Following his stellar regular season, Vazquez has put together a successful campaign in the summer. He won the final 300 meter hurdle of his high school career at the Great Southwest Classic in New Mexico at the beginning of June. Vazquez then won the national championship in the 400 meter hurdles at Nike Outdoor Nationals in Oregon two weeks later. Less than a week after that, Vazquez placed second in the 400mH at the USATF U20 National Championships in 50.95 -- the second fastest time in the nation among high schoolers.
Per the Gatorade press release:
"Yan is an incredible athlete and competitor," said Colin Mattoon, head coach of Desert Vista High. "He is one of those athletes that can excel in just about anything he does. It goes without saying, he's one of the best to ever hurdle in this state."
The summer isn't over yet for Vazquez, who will represent Puerto Rico in the 400mH at the 2022 World Athletic U20 Championships in Colombia at the beginning of August. Vazquez will compete at UCLA next year on an athletic scholarship.
