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THE WINNER: Harrison Williams
THE BASICS
School: Memphis (Tenn.) University School
Grade: Senior
Event: Decathlon
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 175 pounds
Athletic achievement: He won five individual state championships at the Division II state meet this spring and led the Owls to a state title as a team. Williams won the 110-meter hurdles, the 300-meter hurdles, the high jump, the pole vault and the decathlon. His gold medal-winning time of 36.40 seconds in the 300 hurdles ranked as the nation’s No. 7 performance among prep competitors in 2014 at the time of his selection. The state record-holder in the decathlon, pole vault and 300 hurdles, Williams won the decathlon at the Arcadia Invitational in California with a score of 7,525, which ranks as the No. 3 performance in history among U.S. prep competitors. He also ran a leg for the Owls’ 4×400-meter relay quartet, which set a state record in the event this season.
Academic excellence: Williams has maintained a weighted 4.64 GPA.
Exemplary character: A member of the chemistry and history clubs at his school and a National Merit Scholar finalist, he has volunteered locally with a school food drive to benefit the needy and as a peer tutor. He also donated his time assisting victims of this year’s tornado in Alabama.
THE PRAISE
“Harrison Williams is a truly great competitor,” said Ron Seigenthaler, head coach Brentwood. “He is very skilled as a multi-event track and field athlete.”
THE FUTURE: Williams has signed with Stanford.