Kasey Kinsley of Hunterdon Central has been selected as the New Jersey 2025-26 Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Year by Gatorade., who celebrates the nation's best high school athletes for their excellence in sport, academics and community.
This award recognizes Kinsley as New Jersey's best high school boys track and field athlete and he joins an elite legacy that spans professional athletes and coaches to CEOs, such as Alan Webb (2000-01, South Lakes High School, Virginia), Kerron Clement (2002-03, Laporte High School, Texas) and Tate Taylor (2024-25, Harlan High School, Texas).
As a senior this past spring, Kinsley, a 5-foot-10, 170-pound hurdler and vaulter, won the 400-meter intermediate hurdles at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions this past season in a PR of 51.91 seconds, which is a Hunterdon County record, No. 8 in NJ history, and is ranked No. 11 nationally among prep boys competitors.
Though he didn't start competing in track and field until his sophomore year, he also won the 400 hurdles at the Group 4 state meet in addition to taking fourth in the pole vault with to help lead the Red Devils to a fourth-place finish as a team, and finished the season with PR of 14-6 in the pole vault, 49.10 in the 400m, 22.99 in the 200m, and 14.20 in the 100m hurdles.
Kinsley capped his season with a seventh-place finish in the 400 hurdles at Nike Outdoor Nationals to earn Second Team All-American honors.
A member of Scouting America, Kinsley has worked as a lifeguard and volunteered locally as a youth track coach. "Kasey was a threat in the sprints, hurdles and pole vault, which is a pretty unique combination," said Nicole Gilhuley, head coach of Ridge High School. "I was especially happy to see him win the 400 hurdles at the Meet of Champions. It felt like a well earned result for someone who has worked hard, improved tremendously and represents the sport the right way."
Kinsley has maintained a 3.22 GPA in the classroom. He has signed a written letter of athletic aid to compete at Rutgers 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.
