LUCAS, Texas, Jan. 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In its
37th year of honoring the nation's most elite high
school athletes, Gatorade today announced Averi Carlson of Lovejoy
High School in Lucas, TX is
the 2021-22 Gatorade National Volleyball Player of the Year.
Carlson won the prestigious award for her accomplishments on and
off the court, joining an impressive group of former Gatorade
National Volleyball Players of the Year who have gone on to have
incredible success – they've combined for 91 gold medals and 13
National Championships.
Carlson was surprised with the trophy by her family, coaches and
teammates 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 Carlson as the nation's best high school volleyball
player. The Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which
leverages experts including coaches, scouts, media and others to
evaluate candidates, selected Carlson from nearly half a million
other student-athletes who play high school volleyball
nationwide.
Competition for the national award was fierce. Carlson topped
the list of state winners in volleyball who collectively boast an
incredible list of accomplishments, including nine returning state
Gatorade Players of the Year, 27 with a GPA of 4.0 and above and 35
with signed National Letters of Intent to play volleyball at
Division I colleges/universities.
"Averi Carlson is arguably the
most versatile and efficient player in the country," said
Chris Fitzgerald, a national analyst
for Prepdig.com. "As a setter, she knows how to put her attackers
in an optimal position to score, and her greatest strength is that
her weaknesses are nearly imperceptible. She makes something
extremely difficult look easy, so smooth. Carlson is a true
maestro, conducting the game at her speed. She raises the level of
play for everyone on her side of the net. She's a proven winner for
Lovejoy, setting and playing on the pin to really showcase how
dynamic her skill set has become."
The 6-foot senior setter led the Leopards to a 42-6 record and
the Class 5A state championship this past season. Carlson amassed
919 assists and 378 digs along with 212 kills and 72 service aces.
A First Team Under Armour All-American, she was the state
championship MVP and the Dallas Morning News Player of the Year.
Also a MaxPreps First Team All-American, Carlson is a member of the
U.S. Women's U20 National Team and is ranked as the nation's No. 3
prospect in the Class of 2022 by PrepVolleyball.com.
Carlson has volunteered on behalf of Grace Bridge regional food
bank in Celina, the Samaritan Inn
homeless shelter in McKinney and
the Special Olympics. An active member of Lovejoy's PALS (Peer
Assistance Leadership Skills) program and the Prestonwood Baptist
Church community, she has also donated her time as an upperclassman
to PAWS, which assists special needs students.
Carlson has maintained a 3.98 GPA in the classroom. She has
signed a National Letter of Intent to play volleyball on
scholarship at Baylor University this
fall.
"Athletes make an impact not just on the field of play, but in
their communities," said Gatorade Senior Vice President and General
Manager Brett O'Brien. "Averi Carlson knows this better than anyone as
she is equally focused on making the world a better place as she
continues to perfect her craft on the court."
Each year, a selection committee evaluates the nation's top
talent to choose one state winner from each of the 50 states as
well as Washington D.C., 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 & field. In all, 608
athletes are honored each year. From the pool of state winners, one
national winner is selected in each of the 12 sports.
Gatorade has a long-standing history of serving athlete
communities and understands how sports instill valuable lifelong
skills 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, 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 or follow us on social media on
Facebook at facebook.com/GatoradePOY, Instagram at
instagram.com/Gatorade and Twitter at twitter.com/Gatorade.
PREVIOUS GATORADE
NATIONAL VOLLEYBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR WINNERS
|
YEAR
|
NAME
|
HOMETOWN
|
STATUS
|
2020-21
|
Ally
Batenhorst
|
Katy, TX
|
University of
Nebraska
|
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
|
Played for US Women's
National Team
|
2013-14
|
Alexa
Filley
|
Louisville,
KY
|
Played for Auburn
University
|
2012-13
|
Lauren
Carlini
|
Aurora, IL
|
Türk Hava Yollan
(Turkey); played for US Women's National Team
|
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
|
Plays for Leonas de
Ponce (Puerto Rico)
|
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