Press release
JULIETTE WHITTAKER NAMED 2021-22 GATORADE NATIONAL GIRLS TRACK AND FIELD PLAYER OF THE YEAR
CATONSVILLE, Md., July 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In its 37th year of honoring the nation's most elite high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Juliette
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[{"type":"text","content":"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.\nWhittaker was surprised with the trophy by her family, coaches and teammates at school. Check out a video of the announcement here.\nThe 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.\nCompetition 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.\n\"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.\"\nThe 5-foot-8 senior set a meet record in the 800-meter run at June's USATF U20 Outdoor Championships,...