Taylor Ewert Named 2019-20 Gatorade® National Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year

Rhea-AI Summary

The Gatorade Company has named Taylor Ewert of Beavercreek High School as the 2019-20 Gatorade National Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year. This prestigious honor recognizes her exceptional performance and character among over one million student-athletes nationwide. Ewert is a standout, holding multiple national high school records in race-walking and achieving top times in various track events. She maintained a 3.49 GPA and is set to run at the University of Arkansas. Previously, Gatorade award winners have included renowned athletes like Peyton Manning and Derek Jeter.

Positive

• Taylor Ewert holds seven national high school records in race-walking.
• She achieved U.S. Top 10 prep times in three indoor events in 2020.
• Ewert maintained a weighted GPA of 3.49 while excelling in athletics.
• She won multiple prestigious events, including the 1600-meter and 3200-meter runs.

Negative

• None.

BEAVERCREEK, Ohio, June 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In its 35^th year of honoring the nation's most elite high school athletes, The Gatorade Company today announced Taylor Ewert of Beavercreek High School in Beavercreek, Ohio is the 2019-20 Gatorade National Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year. Ewert won the prestigious award for her accomplishments on and off the field, joining an impressive group of former Gatorade National Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year winners who have combined for 72 gold medals and 33 National Championships.

Ewert was surprised with the trophy by her family at home.

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 Ewert as the nation's best high school girls track and field athlete. A national advisory panel comprised of sport-specific experts and sports journalists helped select Ewert from more than one million other student-athletes who compete in girls track and field nationwide.

Competition for the national award was fierce. Ewert topped the list of 51 state winners in girls track and field who collectively boast an incredible list of accomplishments, including seven with All-American honors, 40 who volunteer at two or more organizations, and 25 with GPAs of 4.0 or higher.

Ewert 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.

"Taylor possesses a unique skill set we haven't seen from any prep athlete in the sport for at least two decades," says Erik Boal, an editor for DyeStat. "In addition to her unparalleled success as an American Junior (U20) in the race walk, holding the record in seven distance categories, she has also showcased the capacity to match strides with any of her elite peers in the steeplechase—where she clocked a World Top 25 time among women of all ages in 2019 (2,000 meters)—as well as traditional distance races in cross country and track. Her meticulous preparation, unconditional dedication and relentless determination are qualities that led her to Arkansas, and will eventually take her incredible journey to the Olympic Games."

The 5-foot-10 senior won the 1600-meter run with a time of 4:52.02 and the 3200-meter run in 10:34.79 at the 2020 Division 1 indoor state meet. The Gatorade Ohio Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year, Ewert won the two-mile event at the University of Kentucky High School Invitational in March with a time of 10:18.94, which ranked as the nation's No. 3 performance among prep indoor competitors this past winter. She clocked U.S. Top 10 prep times in three indoor events in 2020 and U.S. Top 20 in three outdoor events in 2019. The state champion in the 3200 last spring, she also won the 2000-meter steeplechase at the 2019 New Balance Nationals Outdoor, while placing second in the mile and the 4x800 relay. Ewert's personal-best time in the steeplechase ranks No. 7 in prep history, and she's also ranked in the all-time Top 35 for the indoor two-mile and the all-time Top 50 in the outdoor mile among high school girls. She holds seven national high school records in race-walking as well as seven American U20 records in that sport.         

Also a talented artist, Ewert has been an altar server at Wright Patterson Air Force Base Chapel for six years, and she's supported the homeless through AFB Chapel Youth Group. She has also served as an inspirational speaker for summer program athletes at West Liberty-Salem High School in addition to volunteering as a meet official and instructor for middle school athletes with her track club as well as donating her time at the Beavercreek XC Camp for elementary athletes, teaching a mini-class on race walking. "Taylor is one of a kind and an absolute joy to coach," said Beavercreek High School distance coach Howard Russ. "The quality that really makes her different from other athletes is her attention to details. She's the most driven athlete that I've ever coached."        

Ewert has maintained a weighted 3.49 GPA in the classroom. She has signed a National Letter of Intent to run on scholarship at the University of Arkansas.

"Despite so many sport seasons being canceled or cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Gatorade Player of the Year program continues to recognize and celebrate the nation's most elite student-athletes for their incredible accomplishments on and off the field," said Gatorade Senior Vice President and General Manager Brett O'Brien. "Taylor Ewert is a leader and role model in her sport, the classroom and her community and we look forward to seeing her continue to succeed in both sports and life." 

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 GIRLS TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETE OF THE YEAR WINNERS
YEAR	NAME	HOMETOWN	STATUS
2018-19	Jasmine Moore	Mansfield, TX	University of Georgia
2017-18	Katelyn Tuohy	Thiells, NY	High School Senior
2016-17	Sydney McLaughlin	Scotch Plains, NJ	Ran for University of Kentucky
2015-16	Sydney McLaughlin	Scotch Plains, NJ	Ran for University of Kentucky
2014-15	Candace Hill	Conyers, GA	US Women's Track and Field Team
2013-14	Raven Saunders	Charleston, SC	Threw for University of Mississippi
2012-13	Kendell Williams	Marietta, GA	Ran for University of Georgia
2011-12	Shelbi Vaughan	Mansfield, TX	Threw for Texas A&M University
2010-11	Amy Weissenbach	Studio City, CA	Ran for Stanford University
2009-10	Ashton Purvis	Oakland, CA	Ran for Texas A&M University
2008-09	Anna Jelmini	Shafter, CA	Threw for Arizona State University
2007-08	Chanelle Price	Easton, PA	Ran for University of Tennessee
2006-07	Emily Pendleton	Lindsey, OH	Ran for University of Michigan
2005-06	Bianca Knight	Ridgeland, MS	Adidas
2004-05	Brittany Daniels	Tracy, CA	Ran for University of Tennessee
2003-04	Shalonda Solomon	Inglewood, CA	Retired from US Women's Track and Field Team
2002-03	Allyson Felix	North Hills, CA	US Women's Track and Field Team
2001-02	Sanya Richards	Fort Lauderdale, FL	Retired from US Track and Field Team
2000-01	Ychlindria Spears	Luling, TX	Ran for The University of Texas, Austin
1999-00	Monique Henderson	San Diego, CA	Retired from US Women's Track and Field Team
1998-99	Stacy Martin	Ellettsville, IN	Ran for Auburn University
1997-98	Angela Williams	Chino, CA	Retired from US Women's Track and Field Team
1996-97	Kinshasa Davis	Carson, CA	Ran for University of Southern California
1995-96	Kim Mortensen	Thousand Oaks, CA	Ran for University of California, Los Angeles
1994-95	Joanna Hayes	Riverside, CA	Retired from US Women's Track and Field Team
1993-94	Suzy Powell	Modesto, CA	Retired from US Women's Track and Field Team
1992-93	Marion Jones	Thousand Oaks, CA	Retired from US Women's Track and Field Team
1991-92	Marion Jones	Thousand Oaks, CA	Retired from US Women's Track and Field Team
1990-91	Marion Jones	Thousand Oaks, CA	Retired from US Women's Track and Field Team
1989-90	Melissa Weis	Bakersfield, CA	Retired from US Women's Track and Field Team
1988-89	Angela Burnham	Oxnard, CA	Ran for University of California, Los Angeles
1987-88	Chryste Gaines	Dallas, TX	Retired from US Women's Track and Field Team
1986-87	Janeene Vickers	Pomona, CA	Retired from US Women's Track and Field Team
1985-86	Yolanda Johnson	Denver, CO	Ran for Colorado State University

 

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SOURCE The Gatorade Company

FAQ

Who is Taylor Ewert and what award did she win?

Taylor Ewert is the 2019-20 Gatorade National Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year, recognized for her athletic and academic excellence.

What are Taylor Ewert's accomplishments in track and field?

Ewert holds seven national high school records in race-walking and has achieved top times in various track events, including a World Top 25 time in the steeplechase.

What is Taylor Ewert's GPA?

Taylor Ewert has maintained a weighted GPA of 3.49.

What university will Taylor Ewert attend?

Ewert has signed a National Letter of Intent to run on scholarship at the University of Arkansas.

Who are some past winners of the Gatorade Player of the Year award?

Past winners include notable athletes like Peyton Manning, Abby Wambach, and Derek Jeter.