South-Carolina
Spartanburg’s Riley Vaughn named Gatorade Girls Track and Field Player of Year in SC
Video of SCHSL 5A Division 1 Upper State track and field championships
Here’s video of some of the action from the SCHSL Class 5A Division 1 Upper State boys and girls track and field championships held May 8 at Dorman.
- Riley Vaughn of Spartanburg was named the 2025-26 South Carolina girls Gatorade Player of the Year.
- Vaughn won the shot put and discus events at the Class 5A-D1 state championships.
Riley Vaughn of Spartanburg girls Track and Field was named the 2025-26 South Carolina girls Gatorade Player of the Year.
Vaughn won the shot put and discus events at the Class 5A-D1 state championships. She nailed a 13.1 meters on the shot and 41.77 meters on the discus. Her 14.41 in the shot at the region meet was the state’s best for 2026.
The 5-foot-10 junior helped lead Spartaburg to a fifth-place team finish. Vaughn had also competed on the national stage after taking third place in the shot put event at the Under Armour Nationals.
“Unbeaten in the discus throw on home state soil this year, Vaughn achieved success in both throws, but really sparkled in the shot put circle,” PrepCalTrack editor, Rich Gonzalez, said. “Her season-best there was the state’s top mark in the event in seven years and moved her to No. 4 on South Carolina’s all-time list.”
Vaughn is now part of an elite group of athletes who have won the prestigious award, including four-time Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin, five-time Olympic medalist Sanya Richards, and 11-time Olympic medalist Allyson Felix.
Vaughn was also named to the Greenville News’ All-Upstate First Team in girls’ Track and Field for the second consecutive season.
Kamryn Jackson covers high school and college sports for the Spartanburg Herald-Journal, Greenville News, Anderson Independent Mail, and the USA TODAY Network. Please email her at KEJackson@gannett.com and follow her on X @KamxJack (formerly Twitter).