Chicago Red
Stars' Mallory Pugh Surprises Winner with Honor
ROSWELL,
Ga., June 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In its
37th year of honoring the nation's most elite high
school athletes, Gatorade today announced Riley Jackson of Blessed Trinity Catholic High
School in Roswell, Ga. is the
2021-22 Gatorade National Girls Soccer Player of the Year. Jackson
won the prestigious award for her accomplishments on and off the
field, joining an impressive group of former Gatorade National
Girls Soccer Players of the Year who have combined for 17 gold
medals and nine National Championships
Chicago Red Stars forward
Mallory Pugh virtually surprised
Jackson 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 Jackson as the nation's best high school girls soccer
player. The Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which
leverages experts including coaches, scouts, media and others to
evaluate candidates, selected Jackson from nearly half a million
other student-athletes who play girls soccer nationwide.
Competition for the national award was fierce. Jackson topped
the list of state winners in girls soccer who collectively boast an
incredible list of accomplishments, including 22 First Team
All-State selections, 7 returning state Gatorade Players of the
Year and 38 who are committed to play at Division I
colleges/universities.
"Riley Jackson is that rare
player who can influence the outcome of the game without showing up
on the scoresheet," said J.R. Eskilson, a national soccer analyst
for Prepsoccer.com. "She's one of the best passers in high school
soccer, identifying through-ball channels that few players can
envision, and she has the skill to put those passes into tight
windows. She also has the elegance on the ball to make everything
look effortless, but there is so much sophistication in how she
approaches the game. That's what really makes her great. What's
more, she's a wall defensively, and dictates where the game is
played on the pitch with her challenges and instincts for stepping
in front of passes. Jackson had one of the best seasons in high
school soccer history by making her teammates better, and that's
part of what makes her worthy of being the Gatorade National Player
of the Year."
The 5-foot-8 sophomore midfielder scored 14 goals and passed for
18 assists this past season, leading the Titans (19-2-1) to the
Class AAAAA state semifinals. Jackson missed the high school
postseason while she was leading the U.S. Soccer Under-17 Women's
National Team to the championship at the CONCACAF World Cup
qualifying tournament. Jackson was the Golden Ball winner, awarded
to the tournament's best player. Also the Class AAAAA State Player
of the Year, she concluded her sophomore year with 36 goals and 48
assists in her prep soccer career.
Jackson has volunteered locally as a youth soccer instructor and
camp coach and she's also a USSF certified, paid soccer
referee.
Jackson has maintained a weighted 4.26 GPA in the classroom. She
will begin her junior year of high school this fall.
"Riley Jackson is now a part of
an elite alumni group of past Gatorade Players of the Year,
including athletic icons such as Peyton
Manning and Abby Wambach,"
said Gatorade Senior Vice President and General Manager
Brett O'Brien. "She has proven why
her name belongs on the trophy and we have no doubt Riley will go
on to accomplish great things in and out of sport like so many POY
winners before her."
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 GIRLS SOCCER PLAYER OF THE YEAR WINNERS
|
YEAR
|
NAME
|
HOMETOWN
|
STATUS
|
2020-21
|
Alyssa
Thompson
|
Studio City,
CA
|
High School
Junior
|
2019-20
|
Emily Mason
|
Flemington,
NJ
|
Rutgers
University
|
2018-19
|
Sophie Jones
|
Atherton, CA
|
Duke
University
|
2017-18
|
Isabella
D'Aquila
|
San Juan Capistrano,
CA
|
Santa Clara
University
|
2016-17
|
Kennedy
Wesley
|
Cerritos, CA
|
Stanford
University
|
2015-16
|
Ella Stevens
|
Loganville,
GA
|
Chicago Red
Stars
|
2014-15
|
Mallory Pugh
|
Highlands Ranch,
CO
|
US Women's National
Soccer Team
|
2013-14
|
Katie
Cousins
|
Forest, VA
|
Played for University
of Tennessee
|
2012-13
|
Morgan
Andrews
|
Milford, NH
|
Played for Washington
Spirit
|
2011-12
|
Morgan
Andrews
|
Milford, NH
|
Played for Washington
Spirit
|
2010-11
|
Morgan Brian
|
St. Simons Island,
GA
|
Chicago Red
Stars
|
2009-10
|
Mollie
Pathman
|
Durham, NC
|
Retired from Boston
Breakers
|
2008-09
|
Rachel Quon
|
Lake Forest,
IL
|
Retired from Chicago
Red Stars
|
2007-08
|
Teresa
Noyola
|
Palo Alto,
CA
|
Retired from Houston
Dash
|
2006-07
|
Melissa
Henderson
|
Garland, TX
|
Retired from Houston
Dash
|
2005-06
|
Lauren
Cheney
|
Indianapolis,
IN
|
Retired from US Women's
National Soccer Team
|
2004-05
|
Amy
Rodriguez
|
Rancho Santa Margarita,
CA
|
North Carolina
Courage
|
2003-04
|
Ashlyn
Harris
|
Satellite Beach,
FL
|
Orlando
Pride
|
2002-03
|
Heather
O'Reilly
|
East Brunswick,
NJ
|
Retired from US Women's
National Soccer Team
|
2001-02
|
Jill Oakes
|
West Hills,
CA
|
Retired from Chicago
Red Stars
|
2000-01
|
Mary
McDowell
|
Lakewood, CO
|
Played for the
University of North Carolina
|
1999-00
|
Aleisha
Cramer
|
Lakewood, CO
|
Retired from US Women's
National Soccer Team
|
1998-99
|
Christie
Welsh
|
Massapequa,
NY
|
Retired from US Women's
National Soccer Team
|
1997-98
|
Aly Wagner
|
San Jose, CA
|
Retired from US Women's
National Soccer Team
|
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 Evolve. The solutions they provide are
driven by a deep understanding of the unique occasions and needs
across athletic activity. Gatorade, their marquee brand, is
underpinned by a 56-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 $79 billion in net revenue in
2021, driven by a complementary beverage and convenient foods
portfolio that includes Lay's, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade,
Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream. PepsiCo's product
portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages,
including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail
sales.
Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in
Beverages and Convenient Foods by Winning with PepsiCo Positive
(pep+). pep+ is our strategic end-to-end transformation that puts
sustainability at the center of how we will create value and growth
by operating within planetary boundaries and inspiring positive
change for planet and people. For more information, visit
www.pepsico.com.
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SOURCE The Gatorade Company