Press release
ANGELINA NAPOLEON NAMED 2022-23 GATORADE NATIONAL GIRLS TRACK AND FIELD PLAYER OF THE YEAR
ALLEGANY, N.Y., June 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In its 38th year of honoring the nation's most elite high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Angelina
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[{"type":"text","content":"ALLEGANY, N.Y., June 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In its 38th year of honoring the nation's most elite high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Angelina Napoleon of Allegany-Limestone Central School in Allegany, N.Y. is the 2022-23 Gatorade National Girls Track and Field Player of the Year. Napoleon 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 more than 71 gold medals and 34 National Championships.\nNapoleon was surprised with the trophy by her family, coaches and teammates. Check out a video of the announcement here.\nThe 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. Napoleon beat out more than half a million other student-athletes who compete in girls track and field nationwide, topping the list of state winners in girls track and field who collectively boast an incredible list of accomplishments, including 23 with signed National Letters of Intent to compete at Division I colleges/universities and 40 with a GPA of 4.0 and above. \n\"Angelina Napoleon not only lowered the 2,000-meter steeplechase national record multiple times, but she also became the second-fastest female athlete in the event in American history,\" said Erik Boal, editor at DyeStat.com. \"She demonstrated incredible range and versatility in 2023, excelling in the 800, mile and high jump in addition to becoming the only female athlete in American history to run under 6:20 in the 2,000 steeplechase and sub-2:04 in the 800.\"\nThe 5-foot-9 senior won the New Balance Nationals title in the 2,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 6:19.53, completing the most impressive season in the event in the U.S. prep history. Napoleon is now the only American female athlete in history to run sub-6:20 in the event on three occasions. She set the national high school record of 6:18.41 in the steeple at the New York Federation Championships, in addition to winning the 800-meter title in a personal-best 2:03.97, an event in which she also took second at the New Balance Nationals Outdoor. She ranks No. 11 nationally in the 1500 meters among U.S. girls prep competitors in 2023 with a clocking of 4:29.78...