By Sports Editor Andrew Simonson
ChicagoAfter another successful spring for the Oak Mountain Eagles, Cooper Jeffcoat’s trophy case is rapidly filling up, but his most recent accolade places him in an elite group of Oak Mountain High School athletes.
Gatorade announced in a press release on Wednesday, June 25 that Jeffcoat was the 2025 Gatorade Alabama Boys Track and Field Player of the Year.
Jeffcoat’s triumph at the RunningLane Track Championships caused a stir on the national stage. On May 23, Jeffcoat won the men’s 800-meter national title by a mere 0.13 seconds, defeating a packed field of runners at Huntsville’s Milton Frank Stadium.
Additionally, Jeffcoat’s time of 1:49.75 in the event set a new state record for Alabama. Among prep boys, it’s the 28th quickest time in the country.
His victory at Oak Mountain, where he won the Class 7A800-meter state championship with the Eagles with a timing of 1:53.95, followed immediately by his national title. In a few of weeks, he would win the RunningLane championships by shaving four seconds off his time.
Additionally, Jeffcoat finished sixth in the boys 400-meter state title and third in the boys 1,600-meter state championship, achieving a lifetime best time of 4:12.93.
Jeffcoat beat his own school record in the Class 7A boys 800-meter state final, which was just another example of his success indoors. Jeffcoat took up the first of his two state titles of the year with a timing of 1:53.06.
In the indoor boys 1,600-meter state title, he also achieved a personal best with a time of 4:17.07, trailing only 0.08 seconds to his teammate John Shoemaker. This year, Shoemaker finished second in the Class 7A cross-country state championship and won four state titles in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs.
With a pace of 1:51.42, Jeffcoat broke his indoor personal record and finished in eighth place at the New Balance Indoor Nationals, capping his indoor season.
One must excel in sports, academics, and community service in order to become Gatorade Player of the Year. With a 3.72 GPA heading into his senior year and a history of assisting at events with Oak Mountain’s track team, Jeffcoat satisfies all of those requirements. He participates actively in the Church of the Highlands as well.
Given that his mother, Jessica, was among the first track and field competitors in Oak Mountain’s history, Jeffcoat is a second-generation athlete. She coached Cooper at Oak Mountain Middle School and was an 800-meter running specialist.
When Cooper broke the school’s indoor 800-meter record for the first time as a sophomore, she was there at the 2024 Class 7A indoor track and field state final. In addition to holding the outdoor state and school records in the event, he has since broken that record numerous times.
