Two Knoxville Catholic athletes earn Gatorade Tennessee Player of the Year honors

Gatorade recognized two Knoxville Catholic athletes as Tennessee Player of the Year: junior Devyn Dunn in volleyball and freshman Keegan Smith in boys cross country.

Dunn helped lead the volleyball program to its first Division II-AA state championship and second overall in school history.

The junior setter, who was named the state tournament MVP, recorded 737 assists, 153 digs, 73 kills and 61 serving aces during the 2021 season. She is the first volleyball player from Catholic to earn Gatorade Player of the Year honors.

KEEGAN SMITH:Catholic freshman chasing Olympic dreams after epic cross-country season

ALL-AREA VOLLEYBALL:Knox News All-PrepXtra volleyball team for 2021

ALL-AREA CROSS COUNTRY:Knox News All-PrepXtra girls and boys cross country teams for 2021

Smith won the Division II-AA cross country state championship by nearly 25 seconds and placed seventh at the Eastbay Cross-Country South Regional, becoming the only freshman in the nation to qualify for the Eastbay Nationals. He also broke the freshman national cross country record, running 14:53.79 at the Southern Showcase, which was also the fastest time recorded by any runner in Tennessee this season.

Smith is the second boys cross country athlete from Catholic to be named the Tennessee Player of the Year. He follows Jake Renfree, a 2019 graduate who now competes for Notre Dame.