THIELLS, N.Y., Feb. 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In its
35th year of honoring the nation's most elite high
school athletes, The Gatorade Company today announced Katelyn
Tuohy of Rockland North High School
in Thiells, N.Y. is the 2019-20
Gatorade National Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year. Truly an
incredible feat, Tuohy is now the winningest Gatorade Player of the
Year of all time, racking up a record-breaking five national awards
(2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20 Gatorade National Girls Cross Country
Runner of the Year, 2017-18 Gatorade National Track & Field
Athlete of the Year and 2018 Gatorade Female Athlete of the Year).
Tuohy won the prestigious award for her accomplishments on and off
the field, joining an impressive group of former Gatorade National
Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year winners who have combined
for seven National Championships and five bronze medals.
Tuohy was surprised with the award in front of teammates,
coaches, friends and family at her school. Check out a video of the
announcement here.
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 Tuohy as the nation's best high school girls cross
country runner. A national advisory panel comprised of
sport-specific experts and sports journalists helped select Tuohy
from nearly half a million high school girls cross country runners
nationwide.
Competition for the national award is fierce. Tuohy topped the
list of 51 state winners in girls cross country who have an
incredible list of accomplishments, including 14 All-America, 7
multi-sport standouts, 24 with a GPA of 4.0 or higher and over 35
girls volunteering with at least two organizations.
Tuohy 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 at a special ceremony after the ESPY
Awards in July.
"Katelyn Tuohy has risen to
become the gold standard during what has become the golden age of
female distance running," says Rich
Gonzalez, Nike Cross Nationals Meet Director. "She's the
undisputed queen of cross country, and her perfect three-year
results along with a long list of course records is beyond compare.
At a time when our sport has been flooded with record participation
numbers and corresponding historic levels of achievement, she has
risen from the crowd to become the best ever. Her high character,
class and charisma have inspired legions of fans, opponents and
future champions."
The 5-foot-4 senior raced to her third consecutive Nike Cross
Nationals championship this past season, breaking the tape with a
time of 17:18.4. The 2018 and 2019 Gatorade National Girls Cross
Country Runner of the Year, Tuohy also won the Class A individual
state championship in 15:36.5 and finished first at the NXR New
York Regional championships in 17:06.6. Unbeaten against high
school competition at 5K for the
third straight season, she also earned victories at the Section 1
championships, the Great American Cross Country Festival, the
Manhattan Invitational and the New York Federation
championships.
Tuohy has volunteered locally on behalf of youth soccer and
running programs, in addition to donating her time to the Rose
Memorial Library. This past summer, Katelyn was a daily
participant—and a huge draw— at the Rockland County Track &
Field Clinic for ages 4-13. She was present every day of the clinic
and would run with kids, encourage them in all their events, and
take pictures/sign autographs. "Katelyn has impressed me so much
with the maturity she has shown," said North Rockland coach
Brian Diglio. "It's very easy
for an elite athlete to focus mostly on her own performance, but
for Katelyn, priority number one has been helping her teammates
race to the best of their ability."
Tuohy has maintained an A average in the classroom. She has
signed a National Letter of Intent to compete in cross country and
track and field on scholarship at North
Carolina State University this fall.
"To determine Gatorade Player of the Year award winners, we look
for student-athletes that are exceptional in their sport and who
also value academics and community service," said Gatorade Senior
Vice President and General Manager Brett
O'Brien. "We chose Katelyn
Tuohy as this year's award winner because she embodies
everything we look for in a Gatorade Player of the Year
recipient."
Through Gatorade's cause marketing platform "Play it Forward,"
Tuohy has the opportunity to award a $1,000 grant to a local or national youth sports
organization of her choosing. She is also eligible to submit an
essay to win one of twelve $10,000
spotlight grants for the organization of choice, which will be
announced throughout the year.
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 CROSS COUNTRY RUNNER OF THE YEAR
WINNERS
|
YEAR
|
NAME
|
HOMETOWN
|
STATUS
|
2018-19
|
Katelyn
Tuohy
|
Thiells,
NY
|
High School
Senior
|
2017-18
|
Katelyn
Tuohy
|
Thiells,
NY
|
High School
Senior
|
2016-17
|
Brie
Oakley
|
Aurora, CO
|
University of
California, Berkeley
|
2015-16
|
Katie
Rainsberger
|
Colorado Springs,
CO
|
University of
Washington
|
2014-15
|
Anna
Rohrer
|
Mishawaka,
IN
|
University of Notre
Dame
|
2013-14
|
Alexa
Efraimson
|
Camas, WA
|
Nike
|
2012-13
|
Sara
Baxter
|
Simi Valley,
CA
|
Ran for University of
Oregon
|
2011-12
|
Molly
Seidel
|
Hartland,
WI
|
Saucony
|
2010-11
|
Aisling
Cuffe
|
Cornwall,
NY
|
Ran for Stanford
University
|
2009-10
|
Megan
Goethals
|
Rochester Hills,
MI
|
Ran for University of
Washington
|
2008-09
|
Jordan
Hasay
|
San Luis Obispo,
CA
|
Ran for University of
Oregon
|
2007-08
|
Ashley
Brasovan
|
Wellington,
FL
|
Ran for Duke
University
|
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SOURCE The Gatorade Company