Carey, Frech, Heyison and Schulz are athletes of the year as 2022 U.S. Paralympics Track & Field High School All-Americans named
by Kristen Gowdy
L-R: Ezra Frech, Annie Carey, Andreas Schulz and Samantha Heyison.
COLORADO SPRINGS – U.S. Paralympics Track & Field today announced the 34 athletes who earned spots on its prestigious 2022 High School All-American roster. The list recognizes the top high school track and field athletes who have a Paralympic-eligible impairment based on their performances in the 2022 season. This is the 12th group of athletes to have been awarded the honor.
“In the second year of a shortened Paralympic Quad, we are looking at many of these athletes as the future of Para track and field in this country,” Sherrice Fox, director of U.S. Paralympics Track & Field, said. “Some have already proven themselves on the international stage while others are looking to make their first national team, and we are excited to see them continue to grow as they lead us into Paris 2024, LA 2028 and beyond.”
The selection criteria looked at the top athlete performances in each event in 2022 as compared against the “A” standard for the U.S. Paralympics Track & Field National Team. The ranking list reflects those top performances in descending order based on the result as compared to the “A” standard by percentage.
In addition to their All-American nominations, four athletes also earned the honor of 2022 U.S. Paralympics Track & Field Athletes of the Year. Ezra Frech (Los Angeles, California), Samantha Heyison (Adamstown, Maryland) were the top male and female field performers, respectively, this year, while Catherine (Annie) Carey (Boise, Idaho) and Andreas Schulz (DeBary, Florida) topped the track list. It is the second consecutive honor for Frech and Heyison, while Carey and Schulz are earning Athlete of the Year titles for the first time in their careers.
Carey’s world record-breaking long jump at the 2022 U.S. Paralympics Track & Field National Championships in June, as well as strong showings in the women’s 100-meter and 200-meter T44 events, propelled her to the Female Track Athlete of the Year honors following her junior year of high school at Bishop Kelly High School. Carey is also a former World Para Athletics Junior Championships bronze medalist, and the now-senior recently represented the United States at the 2022 IWAS World Games, where she won the 100 and 200-meter races.
Also a senior, University High School’s Schulz is the 2022 Male Track Athlete of the Year after winning silver medals in the men’s 100-meter and 400-meter T46 races at national championships. The 18-year-old is a multi-time state champion in Florida in the Florida High School Athletic Association’s ambulatory division. The recent USA Today Courageous Athlete Award winner holds both school and state records in Florida in the 200-meter and 800-meter events.
A 2020 Paralympian, Frech continues to dominate as one of the top young athletes in the U.S. Paralympics Track & Field pipeline as he looks to qualify for his second Games in 2024. Frech competes for The Brentwood School in Los Angeles and earned All-American honors in the men’s long jump T63 for his second consecutive Male Field Athlete of the Year nomination. Frech also competes in high jump and the 100-meter sprint. He is set to graduate high school with the class of 2023.
Now a two-time Female Field Athlete of the Year, Heyison met the standards for All-American status in both the shot put and discus F44 en route to her second nomination. A senior at Urbana High School, Heyison most recently competed alongside Carey at the IWAS World Games in Portugal last week in Villa Real de San António, Portugal, where she won gold in the shot put and discus.
The full list of this year’s High School All-Americans can be found below.
For media requests and inquiries, please contact Kristen Gowdy at Kristen.Gowdy@usopc.org.
2022 U.S. Paralympics Track & Field High School All-Americans
Women
100m |
High School |
Annie Carey |
Bishop Kelly High School |
Chloe Chavez |
Panhandle High School |
Abigail Counts |
Flower Mound High School |
Lauren Fields |
Valley Christian High School |
Elizabeth Floch |
Valley Christian High School |
Aubrey Jumper |
Holy Redeemer High School |
Camryn Ledford |
Joplin High School |
Emily Lopez |
Shenendehowa High School |
Elicia Meairs |
John Paul Stevens High School |
Janie Richardson |
Homeschool |
Ella Rodriguez |
Christopher High School |
Hope Santiago |
Monahans High School |
Kira Stevens |
Homeschool |
200m |
High School |
Annie Carey |
Bishop Kelly High School |
Chloe Chavez |
Panhandle High School |
Aubrey Jumper |
Holy Redeemer High School |
Emily Lopez |
Shenendehowa High School |
Kira Stevens |
Homeschool |
400m |
High School |
Elizabeth Floch |
Valley Christian High School |
Aubrey Jumper |
Holy Redeemer High School |
Emily Lopez |
Shenendehowa High School |
800m |
High School |
Skyler Fisher |
|
Long Jump |
High School |
Annie Carey |
Bishop Kelly High School |
Catarina Guimaraes |
Cranford High School |
Aubrey Jumper |
Holy Redeemer High School |
Emily Lopez |
Shenendehowa High School |
Discus |
High School |
Samantha Heyison |
Urbana High School |
Shot |
High School |
Chloe Chavez |
Panhandle High School |
Samantha Heyison |
Urbana High School |
Danielle Kanas |
George Steinbrenner High School |
Emily Lopez |
Shenendehowa High School |
Ella Rodriguez |
Christopher High School |
Men
100m |
High School |
Jeffrey Files |
Fort Zumwalt High School |
Carson Fox |
Los Alamitos High School |
Aiden Gravelle |
Loyola Catholic School |
Tyler Gunnarson |
St. Charles |
Samuel Haynes |
|
Lucas Jundt |
Indian Trail High School |
Mayo Delmace |
Boston Green Academy |
Vance Ott |
Coahoma High School |
Grant Pierce |
Northeast Magnet High School |
Andreas Schulz |
University High School |
Austin Spalla |
Lincolnway West High School |
Carlo Uglow |
Hays Highschool |
Samuel Winter |
Homeschool |
400m |
High School |
Cooper Blair |
Central Catholic High School |
Aiden Gravelle |
Loyola Catholic School |
Lucas Jundt |
Indian Trail High School |
Grant Pierce |
Northeast Magnet High School |
Andreas Schulz |
University High School |
800m |
High School |
Wyatt Willand |
Northwood-Kensett High School |
Long Jump |
High School |
Lucas Jundt |
Indian Trail High School |
Ezra Frech |
Brentwood School |
Discus |
High School |
Trent Clayton |
West Chester East High School |
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