2023 - 2024 KENTUCKY
BOYS TRACK & FIELD
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
RIKU
SUGIE
DISTANCE
THOMAS NELSON HS
BARDSTOWN, KENTUCKY
SENIOR
HEIGHT: 5-FOOT-10
PRESS RELEASE

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HIGHLIGHTED STATS
1ST - 14:28.63
NIKE OUTDOOR NATIONALS - 5000M
1ST - 8:48.83
ARCADIA INVITATIONAL - 3200M
1ST
CLASS 2A STATE MEET - 1600M
“It’s hard to quibble when a guy wins the national championship, but that’s not all Riku Sugie did this spring. He also set a state record in the 3200 this spring and captured a pair of state titles. That’s an impressive resume.”
Rich Gonzalez
editor for PrepCalTrack.com

Athletic Excellence


The 5-foot-10 130-pound junior distance talent broke the state record by winning the national title in the 5000-meter event at Nike Outdoor Nationals this past season, earning All-American honors in the process. Sugie broke the tape in the 5K with a time of 14:28.63 and also set a personal-best in the mile at the event by clocking a 4:11.12. The state’s 2023-24 Gatorade Boys Cross Country Player of the Year, he set another state record in the 3200 at the Arcadia Invitational, racing to an 8:48.83 to win the seeded race. At the Class 2A state meet, he swept both the 1600 and 3200 events.  

Academic Achievement


Sugie has maintained a 4.0 GPA in the classroom. He will begin his senior year of high school this fall.

Exemplary Character


A member of his school’s Student Organization Council, Sugie has volunteered locally with Angel Tree, which serves special-needs adults within the community. He has also donated his time to Naturally Bardstown, a local nonprofit entrusted to maintain or revive nature trails at community parks and elementary schools.