Marblehead's Loeden Rodrigues Named Gatorade Runner Of The Year

MARBLEHEAD, MA — Marblehead High senior Loeden Rodrigues has been recognized as one of the top cross country runners in the country as this year's Gatorade Massachusetts Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year.

Competing during a season with coronavirus-related rules modifications that limited large meets, Rodrigues swept the top meets that were held with first-place finishes in the Frank Kelley Invitational, the Frank Mooney Invitational and the Division 1 race of the Massachusetts State Track Coaches Association Cup.

The Gatorade state award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, makes Rodrigues eligible for the National Boys Cross Country Player of the Year Award to be announced later this month.

Beyond his prowess on the cross country trails, Rodrigues is also a member of the Marblehead High Engineering Club and coached youth soccer at the Marblehead-Swampscott YMCA.

"In an obviously atypical cross country season, Loeden proved himself to be the best racer in the state," said MSTCA Hall of Famer John Boyle, head coach of St. John's Prep.

Rodrigues has signed a National Letter of Intent to attend and race for the University of Massachusetts. He maintains a 3.24 grade-point average.

Rodrigues joins recent Gatorade Massachusetts Boys Cross Country Players of the Year Mike Griffin (2019-20, King Philip Regional High School), Ryan Oosting (2018-19, Arlington High School), Tristan Shelgren (2017-18, St. John's Preparatory School), and Marcelo Rocha (2016-17, Peabody High School), among the state’s list of former award winners.

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(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)