NEWARK,
N.J., June 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In its
38th year of honoring the nation's most elite high
school athletes, Gatorade today announced Ransford Gyan of St. Benedict's Preparatory
School in Newark, N.J. is the
2022-23 Gatorade National Boys Soccer Player of the Year. Gyan won
the prestigious award for his accomplishments on and off the field,
joining an impressive group of former Gatorade National Boys Soccer
Players of the Year who have combined for more than 12 National
Championships and 13 MLS first round draft picks.
Gyan was surprised with the trophy by his coaches and teammates
at school. Check out a video of the announcement here.
The Gatorade Player of the Year award recognizes athletes not
just for their excellence on the playing surface, but for their
commitment in the classroom and impact in their community. Gyan
beat out nearly half a million other student-athletes who play boys
soccer nationwide, topping the list of state winners in boys soccer
who collectively boast an incredible list of accomplishments,
including 27 with signed National Letters of Intent to play boys
soccer at Division I colleges/universities and 37 with a GPA of 3.5
and above.
"Ransford Gyan was the most
impactful and most valuable player in boys high school soccer
during the 2022-23 season," said J.R. Eskilson, National Analyst
for PrepSocccer.com. "With a dynamic burst and an unreal ability to
keep the ball glued to his feet even while surrounded by defenders,
he proved nearly uncontainable in leading his team to a perfect
season. His humility enabled him to take his game to another level
as a junior. A brilliant attacking talent, he's already staked a
claim as one of the most dangerous offensive players in high school
soccer in recent memory."
The state's returning Gatorade Player of the Year, the 5-foot-4,
135-pound junior midfielder led the Gray Bees to a 17-0 record and
the Non-Public Prep A Tournament state championship this past
season. Gyan scored 20 goals and passed for 14 assists, recording
at least one point in 16 of St. Benedict's 17 games to lead the
Gray Bees to the country's No. 1 ranking United Soccer Coaches
Super 25 poll. Gyan won the Golden Boot at the United States Youth
Soccer Association's 2022 Under-18 National Championships as his
club team, Cedar Stars Academy, captured the national title. A
two-time First Team All-New Jersey Prep honoree, he's ranked as the
nation's No. 12 recruit in the Class of 2024 by PrepSoccer.com.
Gyan has volunteered locally at a food pantry, and he has
donated his time as a youth soccer coach and camp counselor.
"Ransford is a special player who plays for an outstanding team,"
said Chad Bridges, head coach of the
Pennington School. "He can change the game in the blink of any eye
with a play that forces you to rewatch the film to find out how he
did it. Even when you think you have the game under control,
Ransford can instantly change the game."
Gyan has maintained a 3.64 GPA in the classroom. He will begin
his senior year of high school this fall.
In addition to excellence on and off the field of play, Gatorade
Players of the Year also pay it forward for the next generation. As
part of Gatorade's Play it Forward initiative, Gyan will receive a
grant to give to a 501c3 youth sports charity, which includes
Gatorade's social impact partners – Athlete Ally, Laureus
USA, Move United, Women's Sports
Foundation and Up2Us Sports – supporting Gatorade's ambition to
fuel the future of sport.
"As a team dedicated to fueling the future of sport, we're proud
to recognize the next generation of elite talent that is making an
incredible impact on and off the field of play," said Gatorade
Portfolio president and general manager Michael Del Pozzo. "Ransford is an undisputed
leader both in competition and in his community, which is why he
earned the Gatorade National Boys Soccer Player of the Year
award."
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.
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.
About The Gatorade Portfolio
The Gatorade
Portfolio, a division of PepsiCo (NASDAQ: PEP), is a connected
performance and wellness ecosystem built to fuel all athletes and
exercisers. Bringing together Gatorade, Fast Twitch, Propel, Evolve
and Muscle Milk, the Gatorade Portfolio is the most complete
offering in the category today, with a broad range of personalized
solutions at every stage of the athlete journey. This
integrated system of brands is built on Gatorade's 57-year history
of studying athletes and is fueling the future of athletic
performance and wellness by delivering solutions across hydration,
protein, energy and all-day nutrition to fuel consumers, no matter
how or why they sweat. For more information and a full list of
product offerings, 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 $86 billion in net revenue in
2022, 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 pep+ (PepsiCo
Positive). pep+ is our strategic end-to-end transformation that
puts sustainability and human capital 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, and follow on Twitter,
Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @PepsiCo.
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SOURCE The Gatorade Company