Bruce MacDonald Athlete of the Year
Named in honor of the late 5-time Olympian (3x Athlete, 2x Coach), Bruce MacDonald (athlete bio), who initiated the inclusion of Race Walking in High School Track & Field in the US.
| Year | Boys | State | Girls | State | |
| 2023 | Clayton Stoil | VA | Heather Durrant | IL | |
| 2022 | Ryan Allen | PA | Talia Green | CA | |
| 2021 | Jake Lawson | PA | Angelica Harris | IL | |
| 2020 | Samuel Allen | NJ | Taylor Ewert | OH | |
| 2019 | Samuel Allen | NJ | Taylor Ewert | OH | |
| 2018 | Jordan Crawford | GA | Taylor Ewert | OH | |
| 2017 | Cameron Haught | OH | Lauren Harris | NY | |
| 2016 | Cameron Haught | OH | Anali Cisneros | IL | |
| 2015 | Cameron Haught | OH | Anali Cisneros | IL | |
| 2014 | Anthony Peters | IL | Ashleigh Resch | OH | |
| 2013 | Alexander Peters | IL | Annica Penn | NY | |
| 2012 | Tyler Sorensen | CA | Maite Moscoso | FL | |
| 2011 | Tyler Sorensen | CA | Maite Moscoso | FL | |
| 2010 | Trevor Barron | PA | Abby Dunn | ME | |
| 2009 | Trevor Barron | PA | Allison Chin | OH | |
| 2008 | Trevor Barron | PA | Catie Davis | NY | |
| 2007 | Ricardo Vergara Roberto Vergara | TX | Jenna Monahan | NY | |
| 2006 | Ricardo Vergara Roberto Vergara | TX | Heather Buletti | NY | |
| 2005 | Jared Swehosky | OR | Katy Hayes | WI | |
| 2004 | Zachary Pollinger | NJ | Maria Michta | NY | |
| 2003 | Zachary Pollinger | NJ | Maria Michta | NY | |
| 2002 | Adam Staier | ME | Maria Michta | NY | |
| 2001 | Benjamin Shorey | ME | Robyn Stevens | CA |
How AOY is decided?
The combination of Indoor and Outdoor seasons are considered.
Athletes who compete across all distances and rank highly in them all are given a higher rating, because of versatility in many distances.
Championship event placings are generally given greater weight than fast times.
Head to head competition (win/loss) against similarly ranked athletes is a major factor and will outweigh slightly faster times.
Breakdown of Winners by State per Gender
Boys: CA-2, GA-1, IL-2, ME-2, NJ-4, OH-3, OR-1, PA-5, TX-2, VA-1
Girls: CA-2, FL-2, IL-4, NY-8, ME-1, OH-5, WI-1
(through 2023)