BEAVERCREEK, Ohio, June 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In its
35th year of honoring the nation's most elite high
school athletes, The Gatorade Company today announced Taylor Ewert of Beavercreek High School in
Beavercreek, Ohio is the 2019-20
Gatorade National Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year. Ewert
won the prestigious award for her accomplishments on and off the
field, joining an impressive group of former Gatorade National
Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year winners who have combined
for 72 gold medals and 33 National Championships.
Ewert was surprised with the trophy by her family at home.
The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic
excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and
exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field,
distinguishes Ewert as the nation's best high school girls track
and field athlete. A national advisory panel comprised of
sport-specific experts and sports journalists helped select Ewert
from more than one million other student-athletes who compete in
girls track and field nationwide.
Competition for the national award was fierce. Ewert topped the
list of 51 state winners in girls track and field who collectively
boast an incredible list of accomplishments, including seven with
All-American honors, 40 who volunteer at two or more organizations,
and 25 with GPAs of 4.0 or higher.
Ewert is now a finalist for the most prestigious award in high
school sports, the Gatorade Female High School Athlete of the Year
award, which is announced in July.
"Taylor possesses a unique skill set we haven't seen from any
prep athlete in the sport for at least two decades," says
Erik Boal, an editor for DyeStat.
"In addition to her unparalleled success as an American Junior
(U20) in the race walk, holding the record in seven distance
categories, she has also showcased the capacity to match strides
with any of her elite peers in the steeplechase—where she clocked a
World Top 25 time among women of all ages in 2019 (2,000 meters)—as
well as traditional distance races in cross country and track. Her
meticulous preparation, unconditional dedication and relentless
determination are qualities that led her to Arkansas, and will eventually take her
incredible journey to the Olympic Games."
The 5-foot-10 senior won the 1600-meter run with a time of
4:52.02 and the 3200-meter run in 10:34.79 at the 2020 Division 1
indoor state meet. The Gatorade Ohio Girls Cross Country Runner of
the Year, Ewert won the two-mile event at the University of Kentucky High School Invitational in
March with a time of 10:18.94, which ranked as the nation's No. 3
performance among prep indoor competitors this past winter. She
clocked U.S. Top 10 prep times in three indoor events in 2020 and
U.S. Top 20 in three outdoor events in 2019. The state champion in
the 3200 last spring, she also won the 2000-meter steeplechase at
the 2019 New Balance Nationals Outdoor, while placing second in the
mile and the 4x800 relay. Ewert's personal-best time in the
steeplechase ranks No. 7 in prep history, and she's also ranked in
the all-time Top 35 for the indoor two-mile and the all-time Top 50
in the outdoor mile among high school girls. She holds seven
national high school records in race-walking as well as seven
American U20 records in that
sport.
Also a talented artist, Ewert has been an altar server at Wright
Patterson Air Force Base Chapel for six years, and she's supported
the homeless through AFB Chapel Youth Group. She has also served as
an inspirational speaker for summer program athletes at West
Liberty-Salem High School in addition to volunteering as a meet
official and instructor for middle school athletes with her track
club as well as donating her time at the Beavercreek XC Camp for
elementary athletes, teaching a mini-class on race walking. "Taylor
is one of a kind and an absolute joy to coach," said Beavercreek
High School distance coach Howard
Russ. "The quality that really makes her different from
other athletes is her attention to details. She's the most driven
athlete that I've ever
coached."
Ewert has maintained a weighted 3.49 GPA in the classroom. She
has signed a National Letter of Intent to run on scholarship at the
University of Arkansas.
"Despite so many sport seasons being canceled or cut short due
to the coronavirus pandemic, the Gatorade Player of the Year
program continues to recognize and celebrate the nation's most
elite student-athletes for their incredible accomplishments on and
off the field," said Gatorade Senior Vice President and General
Manager Brett O'Brien. "Taylor Ewert is a leader and role model in her
sport, the classroom and her community and we look forward to
seeing her continue to succeed in both sports and life."
Each year a selection committee evaluates the nation's top
talent in the District of Columbia
and all 50 states, choosing national winners in 12 different
sports: football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country,
boys and girls basketball, baseball, softball, boys and girls
soccer, and boys and girls track and field. From the 12 national
winners, one male and one female athlete are each named Gatorade
High School Athlete of the Year.
Since the program's inception in 1985, Gatorade Player of the
Year award recipients have won hundreds of professional and college
championships, and many have also turned into pillars in their
communities, becoming coaches, business owners and educators.
Previous winners include a distinguished list of athletes, such as
Peyton Manning, Abby Wambach, Karl-Anthony Towns, Derek Jeter and many other sports icons. To
learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, check out
past winners or to nominate student-athletes, visit
www.Gatorade.com/POY, on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/GatoradePOY or follow us on Twitter at
www.twitter.com/Gatorade.
About Gatorade
The Gatorade Company, a division of PepsiCo (NASDAQ: PEP), meets
the needs of consumers who participate in Sports and Fitness,
through brands that include Gatorade, Propel, Muscle Milk and
Bolt24. The solutions they provide are driven by a deep
understanding of the unique needs and occasions of different types
of sports and fitness. Gatorade, their marquee brand, is
underpinned by more than 50-year history of studying the best
athletes in the world and sports-nutrition research by the Gatorade
Sport Science Institute, allowing it to provide
scientifically-formulated products that meet athletes' needs both
on and off the field. For more information and a full list of
products, please visit www.gatorade.com.
About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion
times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the
world. PepsiCo generated more than $64
billion in net revenue in 2018, driven by a complementary
food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade,
Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo's product portfolio
includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including
22 brands that generate more than $1
billion each in estimated annual retail sales.
At the heart of PepsiCo is Performance with Purpose – our
fundamental belief that the success of our company is inextricably
linked to the sustainability of the world around us. We believe
that continuously improving the products we sell, operating
responsibly to protect our planet and empowering people around the
world enable PepsiCo to run a successful global company that
creates long-term value for society and our shareholders. For more
information, visit www.pepsico.com.
PREVIOUS GATORADE
NATIONAL GIRLS TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
WINNERS
|
YEAR
|
NAME
|
HOMETOWN
|
STATUS
|
2018-19
|
Jasmine
Moore
|
Mansfield,
TX
|
University of
Georgia
|
2017-18
|
Katelyn
Tuohy
|
Thiells,
NY
|
High School
Senior
|
2016-17
|
Sydney
McLaughlin
|
Scotch Plains,
NJ
|
Ran for University of
Kentucky
|
2015-16
|
Sydney
McLaughlin
|
Scotch Plains,
NJ
|
Ran for University of
Kentucky
|
2014-15
|
Candace
Hill
|
Conyers,
GA
|
US Women's Track and
Field Team
|
2013-14
|
Raven
Saunders
|
Charleston,
SC
|
Threw for University
of Mississippi
|
2012-13
|
Kendell
Williams
|
Marietta,
GA
|
Ran for University of
Georgia
|
2011-12
|
Shelbi
Vaughan
|
Mansfield,
TX
|
Threw for Texas
A&M University
|
2010-11
|
Amy
Weissenbach
|
Studio City,
CA
|
Ran for Stanford
University
|
2009-10
|
Ashton
Purvis
|
Oakland,
CA
|
Ran for Texas A&M
University
|
2008-09
|
Anna
Jelmini
|
Shafter,
CA
|
Threw for Arizona
State University
|
2007-08
|
Chanelle
Price
|
Easton, PA
|
Ran for University of
Tennessee
|
2006-07
|
Emily
Pendleton
|
Lindsey,
OH
|
Ran for University of
Michigan
|
2005-06
|
Bianca
Knight
|
Ridgeland,
MS
|
Adidas
|
2004-05
|
Brittany
Daniels
|
Tracy, CA
|
Ran for University of
Tennessee
|
2003-04
|
Shalonda
Solomon
|
Inglewood,
CA
|
Retired from US
Women's Track and Field Team
|
2002-03
|
Allyson
Felix
|
North Hills,
CA
|
US Women's Track and
Field Team
|
2001-02
|
Sanya
Richards
|
Fort Lauderdale,
FL
|
Retired from US Track
and Field Team
|
2000-01
|
Ychlindria
Spears
|
Luling, TX
|
Ran for The
University of Texas, Austin
|
1999-00
|
Monique
Henderson
|
San Diego,
CA
|
Retired from US
Women's Track and Field Team
|
1998-99
|
Stacy
Martin
|
Ellettsville,
IN
|
Ran for Auburn
University
|
1997-98
|
Angela
Williams
|
Chino, CA
|
Retired from US
Women's Track and Field Team
|
1996-97
|
Kinshasa
Davis
|
Carson, CA
|
Ran for University of
Southern California
|
1995-96
|
Kim
Mortensen
|
Thousand Oaks,
CA
|
Ran for University of
California, Los Angeles
|
1994-95
|
Joanna
Hayes
|
Riverside,
CA
|
Retired from US
Women's Track and Field Team
|
1993-94
|
Suzy
Powell
|
Modesto,
CA
|
Retired from US
Women's Track and Field Team
|
1992-93
|
Marion
Jones
|
Thousand Oaks,
CA
|
Retired from US
Women's Track and Field Team
|
1991-92
|
Marion
Jones
|
Thousand Oaks,
CA
|
Retired from US
Women's Track and Field Team
|
1990-91
|
Marion
Jones
|
Thousand Oaks,
CA
|
Retired from US
Women's Track and Field Team
|
1989-90
|
Melissa
Weis
|
Bakersfield,
CA
|
Retired from US
Women's Track and Field Team
|
1988-89
|
Angela
Burnham
|
Oxnard, CA
|
Ran for University of
California, Los Angeles
|
1987-88
|
Chryste
Gaines
|
Dallas, TX
|
Retired from US
Women's Track and Field Team
|
1986-87
|
Janeene
Vickers
|
Pomona, CA
|
Retired from US
Women's Track and Field Team
|
1985-86
|
Yolanda
Johnson
|
Denver, CO
|
Ran for Colorado
State University
|
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SOURCE The Gatorade Company