THE COLONY, Texas, June 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In its
35th year of honoring the nation's most elite high
school athletes, The Gatorade Company today announced Jayda Coleman of The Colony High School in The
Colony, Texas is the 2019-20
Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year. Coleman won the
prestigious award for her accomplishments on and off the field,
joining an impressive group of former Gatorade National Softball
Player of the Year winners who have combined for four National
Championships, four NPF Championships and 10 have become
coaches.
Coleman was surprised by her family, coaches and teammates at
softball practice.
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 Coleman as the nation's best high school softball
player. A national advisory panel comprised of sport-specific
experts and sports journalists helped select Coleman from nearly
400,000 other student-athletes who play softball nationwide.
Competition for the national award was fierce. Coleman topped
the list of 51 state winners in softball who collectively boast an
incredible list of accomplishments, including 13 best-in-state
players by MaxPreps.com, 4 USA Softball team members, 5 SEC school
committees and 15 with GPAs of 4.0 or higher.
Coleman is now a finalist for the most prestigious award in high
school sports, the Gatorade Female High School Athlete of the Year
award, which is announced in July.
"Jayda Coleman is a polished,
cerebral player who is so smooth and poised that she makes
everything look easy," says Brentt
Eads, President/Executive Editor of Extra Inning Softball.
"From hitting over .700 to making diving stops and throws from her
knees to stealing bases at will, she plays with grace and style,
but she's a fiery competitor with a powerful will to win. She
always seems to be two steps ahead of the play and has great
instincts and instantaneous decision-making abilities. She's one of
the smartest and most intuitive softball players I've ever seen. I
believe she's a once-in-a-generation-type talent."
The 5-foot-10 senior shortstop and left-handed pitcher was one
of only two high-school athletes on the 2019 USA Softball Junior
Women's National Team that won the U19 World Championships in
August. Coleman compiled a .432 batting average and a .510 on-base
percentage with 13 steals for Team USA. Through a 15-3-1 start by the Cougars
this spring, Coleman batted .717 with 42 runs scored, 41 steals, 29
RBI and 10 triples. She also was 12-0 in the circle with a 0.89 ERA
along with 75 strikeouts in 55 innings pitched before the season
was cancelled. A three-time MaxPreps First Team All-American, she
concluded her prep softball career with 279 hits, 261 runs scored,
209 stolen bases and a .702 batting
average.
A member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Coleman
volunteers on behalf of PALS, which works with special needs
children. She also participates in helping youth competitors train
for the Special Olympics in addition to serving as an instructor in
the Texas Glory club organization.
Coleman has maintained a weighted 3.63 GPA in the classroom. She
has signed a national letter of intent to play softball on
scholarship at the University of
Oklahoma.
"With many spring sport seasons canceled to address the
coronavirus pandemic, we feel it is more important than ever to
honor and celebrate phenomenal student-athletes like Jayda Coleman," said Gatorade Senior Vice
President and General Manager Brett
O'Brien. "Jayda is not only among the best high school
softball players in the country, but she also shines in the
classroom and her community, embodying everything we look for in a
Gatorade Player of the Year recipient."
Each year a selection committee evaluates the nation's top
talent in the District of Columbia
and all 50 states, choosing national winners 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 and field. From the 12 national
winners, one male and one female athlete are each named Gatorade
High School Athlete of the Year.
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, Karl-Anthony Towns, Derek Jeter 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
www.Gatorade.com/POY, on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/GatoradePOY or follow us on Twitter at
www.twitter.com/Gatorade.
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 Bolt24. The solutions they provide are
driven by a deep understanding of the unique needs and occasions of
different types of sports and fitness. Gatorade, their marquee
brand, is underpinned by more than 50-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 $64 billion in net revenue in
2018, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that
includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana.
PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable
foods and beverages, including 22 brands that generate more than
$1 billion each in estimated annual
retail sales.
At the heart of PepsiCo is Performance with Purpose – our
fundamental belief that the success of our company is inextricably
linked to the sustainability of the world around us. We believe
that continuously improving the products we sell, operating
responsibly to protect our planet and empowering people around the
world enable PepsiCo to run a successful global company that
creates long-term value for society and our shareholders. For more
information, visit www.pepsico.com.
PREVIOUS GATORADE
NATIONAL SOFTBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR WINNERS
|
YEAR
|
NAME
|
HOMETOWN
|
STATUS
|
2018-19
|
Kelley
Lynch
|
Sharpsburg,
GA
|
University of
Washington
|
2017-18
|
Megan
Faraimo
|
San Diego,
CA
|
University of
California, Los Angeles
|
2016-17
|
Taylor
Dockins
|
Norco, CA
|
California State
University, Fullerton
|
2015-16
|
Madilyn "Bubba"
Nickles
|
Merced, CA
|
US Women's National
Softball Team
|
2014-15
|
Rachel
Garcia
|
Palmdale,
CA
|
University of
California, Los Angeles
|
2013-14
|
Taylor
McQuillin
|
Mission Viejo,
CA
|
Cleveland
Comets
|
2012-13
|
Carley
Hoover
|
Central,
SC
|
US Women's National
Softball Team
|
2011-12
|
Geri Ann
Glasco
|
Watkinsville,
GA
|
Deceased
|
2010-11
|
Paige
McDuffee
|
The Woodlands,
TX
|
Played for University
of California, Los Angeles
|
2009-10
|
Kasey
Fagan
|
Dunnellon,
FL
|
Played for University
of Arkansas
|
2008-09
|
Kenzie
Fowler
|
Oro Valley,
AZ
|
Played for University
of Arizona
|
2007-08
|
Kenzie
Fowler
|
Oro Valley,
AZ
|
Played for University
of Arizona
|
2006-07
|
Ashley
Brignac
|
River Ridge,
LA
|
Played for University
of Louisiana, Lafayette
|
2005-06
|
Kirsten
Shortridge
|
Keller, TX
|
Played for Baylor
University
|
2004-05
|
Dani Hofer
|
Palm Harbor,
FL
|
Played for Louisiana
State University
|
2003-04
|
Anjelica
Selden
|
Fairfield,
CA
|
Played for New
England Riptide
|
2002-03
|
Lisa Dodd
|
San Diego,
CA
|
Played for University
of California, Los Angeles
|
2001-02
|
Alicia
Hollowell
|
Fairfield,
CA
|
Played for USA Elite
Team
|
2000-01
|
Cat
Osterman
|
Cypress,
TX
|
Played for The
University of Texas, Austin
|
1999-00
|
Tia
Bollinger
|
Santa Ana,
CA
|
Played for University
of Washington
|
1998-99
|
Maureen
LeCocq
|
West Hills,
CA
|
Played for Stanford
University
|
1997-98
|
Amanda
Freed
|
Cypress,
CA
|
Played for Chicago
Bandits
|
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SOURCE The Gatorade Company