Caitlyn Little named Gatorade Athlete of the Year

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HOOVER -- The state's most revered track and field award has returned to Hoover for a second consecutive season. On Thursday, recent Hoover High School graduate Caitlyn Little was tabbed the 2017 Gatorade Alabama Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year. 

Little's former teammate and training partner, Brittley Humphrey, won the honor in 2016. 

"It means a lot, especially just like living under Brittley's shoes," Little said. "She left such a huge legacy, and I knew I wanted to do the same. I was super excited, super proud."

Little and Humphrey excelled in the sprints and hurdles, and both will go down as two of the best in state history. The pair sits atop Alabama's all-time list in the indoor 60-meter hurdles and outdoor 100-meter hurdles. 

"We're going to miss her," said Hoover head track and field coach Devon Hind. "We can't replace those Gatorade athletes of the year."

Few barriers in 2017 were too tall for Little, who relied on innate speed and pristine mechanics to etch a memorable senior season. Over the course of the winter and spring, she won the fourth, fifth and sixth individual state titles of her career. She also became an All-American. 

"She was focused all year," Hind said. "She brought her best in practice and at the meets."

Little won the Class 7A 60-meter hurdles at the state indoor championships, along with the 100-meter dash and 100-meter hurdles at the state outdoor championships. Her first-place performances anchored a Hoover girls team that swept the indoor and outdoor state titles for a fourth consecutive year.

In March, Little posted a personal-best time of 8.24 seconds in the 60 hurdles to earn a runner-up finish at New Balance Nationals Indoors, which clinched All-American status.

Her success on the national stage during the indoor season proved a harbinger of what was to come. In April, she placed second in the 100 hurdles at the prestigious Arcadia Invitational. Little recorded a personal-best 13.29 seconds at the California meet.

She returned to the West Coast this past weekend, capping her prep career at the Brooks PR Invitational in Renton, Washington. The invite-only competition, which Humphrey attended and won last June, attracts the country's top talent. Little notched a third-place finish in the 100 hurdles. 

"It was just awesome. I loved Brooks," Little said. "I wish I could go again if I had another year."

Little will instead begin her college career this fall at the University of South Carolina, where she will compete frequently against Humphrey, who is now at LSU. 

Little credited Hind, assistant coach Mark Ruffin and her faith for enabling her to reach her potential as a senior. But Hind said Little, whom he began to coach as a Bumpus Middle eighth-grader, has yet to hit her athletic ceiling. 

"I don't see any reason why she won't improve," Hind said. "She has the desire and the talent."

Hoover area track and field news

Hakim Ruffin, a rising Hoover senior and the son of assistant track and field coach Mark Ruffin, captured All-America honors this past weekend at New Balance Nationals in Greensboro, North Carolina. He posted a time of 21.4 seconds in the 200-meter dash final to claim fourth place in the boys championship division. The top six finishers became All-Americans. Ruffin was forced to pull out of the 200-meter final at May's 7A state meet due to a cramp. New Balance offered him a shot at redemption, and he seized it. 

Daniel Nixon, a 2016 Spain Park alumnus, will run Friday afternoon at the USA Track and Field Junior Outdoor Championships in Sacramento, California. The meet is being held in conjunction with the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Nixon, who recently wrapped up his freshman year at Mississippi State, will compete in the 800-meter run.