Natchez’s Markeith Thompson Earns 2024-25 Gatorade Mississippi Boys Track & Field Player of the Year

Gatorade has named Markeith Thompson of Natchez High School the 2024-25 Gatorade Mississippi Boys Track & Field Player of the Year, recognizing the senior hurdler and jumper as the state’s top athlete on the track, in the classroom and in the community.

Standing 5-foot-11 and weighing 140 pounds, Thompson swept the 110- and 300-meter hurdles at the Class 5A state meet, added second-place finishes in the long jump and triple jump, and helped the Bulldogs claim fifth place in the team standings. His personal-best 13.50 seconds in the 110 hurdles ranks No. 17 nationally among 2025 prep competitors. “Markeith Thompson went unbeaten in both hurdles events in Mississippi and earned All-American honors by making the 110-hurdles final,” said Rich Gonzalez, editor of PrepCalTrack.com. “He finished his prep career as a nationally relevant force from the 110 to the 400 hurdles.”

Off the track, Thompson was elected president of the Student Government Association and is a member of the National Honor Society, Beta Club, Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, SOAR Leadership Group, DECA, photography club and yearbook club. His volunteer résumé includes work with the Natchez Humane Society, the Natchez Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta, Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church, Natchez Stewpot and Special Olympics.

Academically, Thompson maintained a 3.6 weighted GPA, graduated from Natchez High with a dual Associate’s degree, and has signed a National Letter of Intent to compete at the University of Southern Mississippi this fall.

Now in its 40th year, the Gatorade Player of the Year program honors one winner in each state across 12 high-school sports and later names national honorees. Each state winner also receives a grant to donate to a social-impact partner; to date, the program has provided more than $6.6 million in grants to over 2,000 organizations.