The state’s returning Gatorade Player of the Year, the 5-foot-9, 140-pound senior distance talent won the 3,000-meter run at the USATF Under-20 Championships this past season. Bontrager’s winning time of 8:32.53 ranked No. 42 nationally among prep boys competitors this spring and earned him a berth in the Under-20 World Championships this August in Oregon. Also the 2023-24 Gatorade Boys Cross Country Player of the Year, Bontrager set meet records in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs at the state championships, leading the Warriors to an eighth-place finish as a team. Bontrager’s winning 1,600 time of 4:01.83 was a state record and ranked No. 2 nationally and he ranked in the Top 12 nationally in the 800-meter run (No. 2 prep competitor, 1:47.86), the mile run (No. 12, 4:02.48) and the 3,200 (No. 6, 8:41.28).
Bontrager has maintained a 3.88 GPA in the classroom. He has signed a written letter of athletic aid to compete at the University of Notre Dame this fall.
The vice president of his class at Westview High, Bontrager is also the co-president of the Westview National Honor Society. He has volunteered locally with Feed My Starving Children and he has donated his time to multiple community service initiatives through both his church and the National Honor Society.
