Paige Bueckers and Candace Parker Present Highest Honor in High School Sports to Nation’s Top Athletes
LOS ANGELES, July 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Tonight, Gatorade named Sadie Engelhardt and Cooper Flagg as the 2023-24 Gatorade Best Female and Best Male Players of the Year, distinguishing the duo as the best high school athletes in the nation. Former Gatorade Best Female Players of the Year Candace Parker and Paige Bueckers presented the honors live on stage at the 2024 ESPYs. With their selection, Flagg and Engelhardt join an elite alumni group forged over 20 years that includes Jayson Tatum, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Karl-Anthony Towns.
The Gatorade Best Player of the Year announcement is the culmination of an unparalleled Gatorade Player of the Year Awards experience that brought the 12 Gatorade National Players of the Year, the best of the best in high school sports, to Los Angeles for a week-long celebration. From photoshoots and first access to the latest Gatorade iD Drop to an exclusive celebration with a performance by Lil Yachty and their favorite pro athletes and opportunities to give back to the next generation, the immersive week is designed to recognize and celebrate their accomplishments in a way only Gatorade can.
“Our Gatorade Player of the Year class embodies the future of sport, so we’re energized to celebrate their accomplishments and bright futures during this one-of-a-kind experience,” said Gatorade president and general manager Mike Del Pozzo. “For decades Gatorade Players of the Year have gone on to have incredible success both on the field of play and in their communities, and we can’t wait to see what these athletes do next.”
Through Gatorade’s Equity in Sports initiative, each year, Gatorade brings some of its Players of the Year to local sports organizations across Los Angeles to advance access to sport for young athletes in the city. As part of this year’s experience, a few of Gatorade’s Players of the Year stopped by Hollywood High School to surprise LA Rec&Parks and Girls Athletic Leadership School. 2022-23 Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year and USC guard Juju Watkins was also in attendance to present each organization with a $25,000 donation that will cover the cost of their sports programming, equipment, and fees for the next year.
Additionally, as part of Gatorade’s commitment to breaking down barriers in sport, every Gatorade Player of the Year also receives a grant to donate to a social impact partner. From there, each athlete may also submit a short video explaining why the organization they chose is deserving of a Spotlight Grant, which awards an additional $10,000 to give to the organization. This year’s twelve Spotlight Grant recipients joined Gatorade in Los Angeles for the Player of the Year Awards celebration. To date, Gatorade Player of the Year winners’ grants have totaled more than $4.9 million across more than 1,600 organizations.
The 12 National Players of the Year also received exclusive first-access to Gatorade’s limited-edition Drop co-created with UNINTERRUPTED, with Engelhardt and Flagg as the first to model the collection. The Drop, made up of two capsules including a vintage-inspired Gatorade branded track jacket and towel and a t-shirt, limited-edition snapback and Gx bottle, will be available for sale on the brand’s free membership platform, Gatorade iD, beginning on Friday, July 12 at 10 a.m. ET, with limited quantities available.
2023-24 GATORADE BEST PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS
Sadie Engelhardt: California’s three-time Gatorade Girls Track & Field Player of the Year, Engelhardt finished as the national leader in four events this past season and sparked the Cougars to a second-place team finish at the state meet. She crossed the line in 4:28.46 seconds to break the national high school record in the mile at the HOKA Festival of Miles, and clocked a 4:08.86 in the 1500-meter run while competing against pros at the Portland Track Festival—that time ranks No. 5 in U.S. girls prep history and qualified her for the U.S. Olympic Trials. Below are additional facts about Engelhardt:
- Also the Gatorade State Girls Cross Country Player of the Year from 2022-24, she broke the California record in the 1600 with a 4:32.06 at the state meet, the fastest time ever in the event in a meet with high school-only competitors.
- Earlier in the season at the Azusa Pacific Meet of Champions, she broke the tape in the 800 in 2:03.46, which is the nation’s No. 1 time by a prep girl in 2024.
- Volunteered locally on behalf of Runners For Public Lands, helping to clean trails and other places to run around Ventura County.
- Engelhardt has maintained a weighted 4.59 GPA in the classroom.
- Made a verbal commitment to compete on scholarship at NC State beginning in the fall of 2025.
Cooper Flagg: The nation’s No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2024 by ESPN, 247Sports and Rivals, Flagg led the Montverde Eagles to a 34-0 record and the Chipotle Nationals title. Also the 2021-22 Gatorade Maine Player of the Year, Flagg is a McDonald’s All-American Game selection, the 2024 Naismith Award National High School Player of the Year and a member of both Nike Hoop Summit Team USA and the Jordan Brand Classic squad. Below are additional facts about Flagg:
- The 2021-22 Gatorade Maine Player of the Year averaged 16.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.7 blocks and 1.6 steals this past season.
- In addition, he shot 55.1 percent from the field during the season.
- Participated in fundraisers for both the Ronald McDonald House and Donovan Kurt Memorial Cancer Fund, as well as volunteered at youth basketball camps and clinics in both Maine and Florida.
- Flagg has maintained a weighted 4.10 GPA in the classroom.
- Signed a national letter of intent to play basketball on scholarship at Duke University this fall.
To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, check out past winners or to nominate student athletes, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com.
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 59-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.
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