KATY, Texas, May 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In its
36th year of honoring the nation's most elite high
school athletes, Gatorade today announced Ally Batenhorst of Seven Lakes High School in
Katy, Texas is the 2020-21
Gatorade National Volleyball Player of the Year. Batenhorst won the
prestigious award for her accomplishments on and off the court,
joining an impressive group of former Gatorade National Volleyball
Player of the Year winners who have combined for 92 gold medals and
13 National Championships.
Olympic medalist April Ross
virtually surprised Batenhorst with the news, while her family,
coaches and teammates showed up with the trophy at 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 Batenhorst as the nation's best high school
volleyball player. A national advisory panel comprised of
sport-specific experts and sports journalists helped select
Batenhorst from nearly half a million other student-athletes who
play high school volleyball nationwide.
Competition for the national award was fierce. Batenhorst topped
the list of state winners in volleyball who collectively boast an
incredible list of accomplishments, including 37 with signed
letters of intent at Division 1 schools, 30 with a GPA of 4.0 and
above, and 6 returning state Gatorade Players of the Year.
"Ally is a six-rotation, pin hitter who can terminate with equal
facility from the left or right sides," said John Tawa, national volleyball writer at
VolleyballMag.com. "She's 6-foot-4, with long arms and long legs,
which makes her an absolute handful at the net. She has also
improved her first contact so significantly that she's become an
impact player on defense and in the serve-receive game. I think
she'll be a plug-and-play performer at Nebraska who will excel wherever the Huskers
need her."
The 6-foot-4 senior outside hitter led the Spartans to a 25-1
record and the Class 6A state championship this past season.
Batenhorst amassed 574 kills, 371 digs, 33 blocks and 32 service
aces. The Class 6A Player of the Year and the Greater Houston
Player of the Year, she was MVP of the state tournament. Batenhorst
was named a 2020-21 Under Armour First Team All-American, a
VolleyballMag.com First Team All-American and a MaxPreps First Team
All-American.
Batenhorst has served as a peer mentor in addition to
volunteering locally on behalf of hurricane relief efforts and the
Ballard House, which provides temporary lodging for individuals and
their families who are hospitalized or receiving treatment.
Batenhorst has maintained a weighted 4.11 GPA in the classroom.
She has signed a National Letter of Intent to play volleyball on
scholarship at the University of
Nebraska this fall.
"It's truly an incredible feat for a Gatorade Player of the Year
to outshine so many tough competitors," said Gatorade Senior Vice
President and General Manager Brett
O'Brien. "Nearly half a million student-athletes play high
school volleyball and Batenhorst stood above them all."
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.
Gatorade is dedicated to recognizing, supporting and keeping
athletes in the game because of the lifelong skills sports instill
on and off the field. 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, Jayson Tatum, Derek
Jeter, Elena Delle Donne 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
playeroftheyear.gatorade.com, on Facebook at
facebook.com/GatoradePOY or follow us on Twitter at
twitter.com/Gatorade.
PREVIOUS GATORADE
NATIONAL VOLLEYBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR WINNERS
|
YEAR
|
NAME
|
HOMETOWN
|
STATUS
|
2019-20
|
Jess
Mruzik
|
Farmington Hills,
MI
|
University of
Michigan
|
2018-19
|
Ellie
Holzman
|
New Orleans,
LA
|
University of
Illinois
|
2017-18
|
Thayer
Hall
|
Roebuck,
SC
|
University of
Florida
|
2016-17
|
Lexi Sun
|
Solana Beach,
CA
|
University of
Nebraska
|
2015-16
|
Khalia
Lanier
|
Phoenix,
AZ
|
Zanetti Bergamo
(Italy)
|
2014-15
|
Mikaela
Foecke
|
West Point,
IA
|
US Women's National
Team
|
2013-14
|
Alexa
Filley
|
Louisville,
KY
|
Played for Auburn
University
|
2012-13
|
Lauren
Carlini
|
Aurora, IL
|
US Women's National
Team & Türk Hava Yollan (Turkey)
|
2011-12
|
Jordan
Burgess
|
Tampa, FL
|
Played for Stanford
University; student at Stanford Medical School
|
2010-11
|
Krista
Vansant
|
Redlands,
CA
|
Retired from US
Women's National Team
|
2009-10
|
Ashley
Wittman
|
Shakopee,
MN
|
Played for University
of Minnesota
|
2008-09
|
Gina
Mancuso
|
Papillion,
NE
|
Played for University
of Nebraska
|
2007-08
|
Kelly
Murphy
|
Wilmington,
IL
|
Retired from US
Women's National Team
|
2006-07
|
Alix
Klineman
|
Manhattan Beach,
CA
|
Team USA
Beach
|
2005-06
|
Megan Easy (née
Hodge)
|
Durham, NC
|
Plays for
Itambe/Minas (Brazil)
|
2004-05
|
Cynthia
Barboza
|
Long Beach,
CA
|
Retired from US
Women's National Team; Ph.D. candidate at USC Price
|
2003-04
|
Cynthia
Barboza
|
Long Beach,
CA
|
Retired from US
Women's National Team; Ph.D. candidate at USC Price
|
2002-03
|
Kristin
Richards
|
Orem, UT
|
Retired from US
Women's National Team
|
2001-02
|
Bre Ladd
|
Tucson, AZ
|
Played for University
of Arizona
|
2000-01
|
Ogonna
Nnamani
|
Bloomington,
IL
|
Retired from US
Women's National Team; M.D. Reconstructive Surgery
|
1999-00
|
April Ross
|
Newport Beach,
CA
|
Team USA
Beach
|
1998-99
|
Logan Tom
|
Pelham, AL
|
Retired from US
Women's National Team
|
1997-98
|
Sara
Sandrik
|
Salt Lake City,
UT
|
Played for Stanford
University
|
1996-97
|
Denise
Boylan
|
Lisle, IL
|
Played for University
of Notre Dome
|
1995-96
|
Kerri Walsh
Jennings
|
San Jose,
CA
|
Team USA
Beach
|
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, Evolve 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 $70 billion in net revenue in
2020, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that
includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker, Tropicana and
SodaStream. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of
enjoyable foods and beverages, including 23 brands that generate
more than $1 billion each in
estimated annual retail sales.
Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in
Convenient Foods and Beverages by Winning with Purpose. "Winning
with Purpose" reflects our ambition to win sustainably in the
marketplace and embed purpose into all aspects of our business
strategy and brands. For more information, visit
www.pepsico.com.
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SOURCE The Gatorade Company