CATONSVILLE, Md., July 6, 2022
/PRNewswire/ -- In its 37th year of honoring the
nation's most elite high school athletes, Gatorade today announced
Juliette Whittaker of Mount de Sales
Academy in Catonsville, Md. is the
2021-22 Gatorade National Girls Track and Field Player of the Year.
Whittaker won the prestigious award for her accomplishments on and
off the field, joining an impressive group of former Gatorade
National Girls Track and Field Players of the Year who have
combined for 71 gold medals and 34 National Championships.
Whittaker 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 Whittaker as the nation's best high school girls
track and field player. The Gatorade Player of the Year Selection
Committee, which leverages experts including coaches, scouts, media
and others to evaluate candidates, selected Whittaker from more
than half a million other student-athletes who compete in girls
track and field nationwide.
Competition for the national award was fierce. Whittaker topped
the list of state winners in girls track and field who collectively
boast an incredible list of accomplishments, including 26 who are
committed to Division 1 colleges and universities, 12 returning
state Gatorade Players of the Year and 35 with a GPA of 3.75 and
above.
"Juliette Whittaker had already
established herself as one of the elite middle-distance athletes in
U.S. prep history by advancing to the 800-meter semifinals at last
year's Olympic Trials," said Erik
Boal, an editor for DyeStat. "But following her mile victory
at June's Brooks PR Invitational and a pair of sub-two minute
efforts in the 800 during this past outdoor season—capped by her
national high school record performance at the USATF U20
Championships in Oregon—she has elevated herself into the ranks of
the all-time greatest high school competitors, regardless of gender
or event. She is poised to make a significant impact at
Stanford as the leader of one of the
deepest recruiting classes in that program's history."
The 5-foot-8 senior set a meet record in the 800-meter run at
June's USATF U20 Outdoor Championships, clocking a 1:59.04 to shave
nearly a half-second off the previous high school record, set in
2013. The state's returning Gatorade Player of the Year in girls
track and field, Whittaker also ran four of the U.S. Top-50 prep
times from 400 meters to a mile in 2022, including the
seventh-fastest mile in girls high school history. In addition, she
broke the tape in the 800, 1600 and 3200 at the Interscholastic
Athletic Association of Maryland championships, leading her team to
the title.
The president of her class, Whittaker has volunteered locally at
a soup kitchen and as a peer tutor.
Whittaker has maintained a weighted 4.46 GPA in the classroom.
She has signed a National Letter of Intent to compete on an
athletic scholarship at Stanford
University this fall.
"Sports make a powerful difference in the lives of
student-athletes, teaching lifelong lessons and skills such as
teamwork, dedication and self-confidence," said Gatorade Chief
Marketing Officer Kalen Thornton.
"Juliette Whittaker exemplifies the
positive impact sports can have on a person and their broader
community, and we welcome her to the Gatorade Player of the Year
family."
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 TRACK AND FIELD PLAYER OF THE YEAR
WINNERS
|
YEAR
|
NAME
|
HOMETOWN
|
STATUS
|
2020-21
|
Roisin
Willis
|
Stevens Point,
WI
|
High School
Senior
|
2019-20
|
Taylor Ewert
|
Beavercreek,
OH
|
University of
Arkansas
|
2018-19
|
Jasmine
Moore
|
Mansfield,
TX
|
University of
Florida
|
2017-18
|
Katelyn
Touhy
|
Thiells, NY
|
North Carolina State
University
|
2016-17
|
Sydney
McLaughlin
|
Scotch Plains,
NJ
|
US Women's Track and
Field Team
|
2015-16
|
Sydney
McLaughlin
|
Scotch Plains,
NJ
|
US Women's Track and
Field Team
|
2014-15
|
Candace Hill
|
Conyers, GA
|
Asics
|
2013-14
|
Raven
Saunders
|
Charleston,
SC
|
US Women's Track and
Field Team
|
2012-13
|
Kendell
Williams
|
Marietta, GA
|
US Women's Track and
Field Team
|
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
|
Ran for University of
Texas, Austin
|
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-Ross
|
Fort Lauderdale,
FL
|
Retired from US Track
and Field Team
|
2000-01
|
Ychlindria
Spears
|
Luling, TX
|
Ran for 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-Roos
|
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
|
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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