Butler’s Drew Griffith named 2023-24 TribLive HSSN Boys Athlete of the Year

By: Chris Harlan
Wednesday, July 3, 2024 | 7:21 PM

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Drew Griffith discusses his record-setting year with TribLive HSSN’s Don Rebel on the Rebel Yell podcast.

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Butler senior Drew Griffith broke a national record on a track in Boston and smashed another record at the state championships in Shippensburg.

Yet, neither is necessarily his favorite place to run. In fact, the reigning state cross country champion says he’d prefer to go for a run on a grassy field most days.

“It’s tough to say that when I had a lot of success on the track this season, but there’s just something about it,” Griffith said about his love for cross country. “That’s kind of where I started, and I’m geared more toward the longer distances. I just feel more at home there, and also there’s something about running on grass that’s super relaxing and peaceful to me.”

But regardless of where he ran, the Notre Dame recruit never looked uncomfortable in a senior year that saw him win three PIAA gold medals and emerge as the top high school distance runner in the country. His remarkable success across all seasons makes him the 2023-24 TribLive HSSN Boys Athlete of the Year.

Among his accomplishments:

• Griffith set two national records.

He broke an indoor 2-mile record for high school boys at the New Balance Nationals Indoor in Boston in March. A couple of months later, he broke a National Federation of State High School Associations record in the 1,600 meters at the PIAA championship.

• Griffith achieved the iconic 4-minute mile for the first time in his career in May at the HOKA Festival of Miles in St. Louis. His winning time of 3 minutes, 57.72 seconds, made him the 22nd high school athlete to break the 4-minute barrier and was the fifth fastest all-time, according to MileSplit.

• He broke the four-minute mile again in June at the New Balance Nationals in Philadelphia. He won in 3:59.00, making him the national champion in the mile.

• Griffith also is a reigning national champion in cross country after winning the New Balance Nationals in San Diego in December.

• In WPIAL competition, Griffith won four gold medals this school year. Along with his cross country gold, he won a WPIAL team track title, two individual gold medals (1,600 and 3,200) and a relay gold (3,200-meter relay).

• At the state level, he won a PIAA cross country title in the fall. In the spring, Griffith won the 1,600 and 3,200 meters at the state track championships. He also led his relay team to a sixth-place medal.

• He won the state indoor title in the mile at the PTFCA meet in February.

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: Butler