Dylan Bundy and Morgan Brian Named Gatorade High School Athletes of the Year

LOS ANGELES, July 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The biggest names in high school and professional sports convened in Los Angeles tonight as Gatorade honored the top prep male and female athletes with the ninth annual Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year awards. Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year Dylan Bundy (Owasso High School/Owasso, Okla.) was named the 2011 Gatorade Male High School Athlete of the Year and Gatorade National Girls Soccer Player of the Year Morgan Brian (Frederica Academy/St. Simons, Ga.) received 2011 Gatorade Female High School Athlete of the Year honors.

Bundy and Brian received their awards at a dinner emceed by ESPN's Stuart Scott and attended by Matt Stafford (2005-06 Gatorade Texas Football Player of the Year), Kevin Love (2007 Gatorade Male High School Athlete of the Year), Lisa Leslie (1989-90 Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year), Jessica Mendoza (U.S. Women's Softball National Team Member, 2004-2010) and Allyson Felix (2003 Gatorade Female High School Athlete of the Year).

Established in 1985, the Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. In addition to athletic excellence, the award recognizes academic achievement and exemplary character on and off the field. In 2003, the Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year awards were established to identify and honor the nation's top overall male and female high school athletes from among the 12 Gatorade National Players of the Year honored during the high school athletic season.

All Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year nominees will walk the ESPY red carpet and be featured as special guests during The ESPY Awards Show. The show will take place Wednesday evening and air live on ESPN at 9:00 p.m. ET.

"The Gatorade Athlete of the Year awards stand apart in that they honor those who are not only the best on the field of play, but are also proven performers academically, and actively give back to their communities," Senior Vice President of Sports Marketing Jennifer Storms said. "Dylan and Morgan are outstanding examples of what a leader and a student-athlete should exemplify."

2011 GATORADE HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS

Dylan Bundy: Bundy posted an 11-0 record on the mound with a 0.20 ERA, 158 strikeouts and just five walks in 71 innings pitched this past season, leading the Rams (37-2) to the Class 6A state final. He also batted .467 with 11 home runs, 54 RBIs and 50 runs scored this spring. He is the nation's only three-time winner of Gatorade State Baseball Player of the Year honors in the award's 26-year history.

• Selected No. 4 overall in the first round of the 2011 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft (Baltimore Orioles organization)
• Posted an 11-0 record on the mound with a 0.20 ERA, 158 strikeouts and just five walks in 71 innings pitched this past season
• Led the Owasso Rams (37-2) to the 2011 Class 6A state final
• He also batted .467 with 11 home runs, 54 RBIs and 50 runs scored this spring
• Threw eight complete-game shutouts, including one no-hitter, registered a save and allowed only two earned runs to score in 2011
• Averaged 15.5 strikeouts per seven innings this year en route to a 31.6-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio
• Rawlings First Team All-American
• 2011 First Team All-State
• 2011 Tulsa World's All-Metro Player of The Year
• No. 2 in Top 200 Baseball America 2011 draft prospects
• 2011 Baseball America/USA Today High School Player of the Year
• Louisville Slugger Player of the Year and First Team Multi-Position Player
• 2011 National High School Coaches Association Baseball Athlete of the Year (seniors only)
• 3.76 GPA
• Volunteered locally on behalf of First United Methodist Church and Owasso Community Resources holiday service missions
• Baseball clinic instructor at Sperry and Owasso high schools
• Initiated a grassroots effort for Rams athletes to provide targeted humanitarian relief to victims of the Joplin, Missouri tornadoes

Morgan Brian: Brian led the Knights to a 17-2-1 record and a fourth straight Georgia Independent School Association Class AA state title. She scored 71 goals and passed for 30 assists this past season.

• Led Frederica Academy to a 17-2-1 record this spring and a fourth straight Georgia Independent School Association Class AA state title
• Scored 71 goals and passed for 30 assists in her senior season
• Two-time Gatorade Georgia Girls Soccer Player of the Year
• Selected to the USA U-20 Women's National Team for 2011 Ten Nations Tournament
• Captain of USA U-20 National Team at age 18
• 2010 PARADE Magazine National High School Soccer Player of the Year
• 2010 National Soccer Coaches Association Youth Player of the Year (club play)
• PARADE Magazine High School All-American
• National Soccer Coaches Association High School All-American
• National Soccer Coaches Association Youth All-American
• Ranked as the No. 1 Class of 2011 Recruit by Top Drawer Soccer
• Nominated for the Young Female Athlete of the Year by the US Soccer Federation
• ESPN RISE High School All-American
• 2011 National High School Coaches Association Girls Soccer Athlete of the Year (seniors only)
• Selected as  a Georgia Independent School Association All-Region and All-State Player in Soccer and Basketball and All-Region in Volleyball
• Led the Ponte Vedra U18 Storm to U.S. Youth Soccer Region III Premier League title
• Led the Ponte Vedra U18 Storm to U.S. Youth Soccer Florida State Cup title
• 3.84 GPA
• Class President, 2008-10
• Co-creator of the Many Hearts, One Goal Foundation (winner of the AT&T National Sportsmanship Award) to bring displaced Haitian U-17 team to Florida for training
• Volunteered in association with the Manna House to provide food for the needy
• Earned "F" Soccer Coaching License
• Member of faith-based teen mentoring group "707"
• Volunteered in association with Habitat for Humanity
• Youth instructor for the Charlie Morgan Soccer Camp
• Member of Fellowship Christian Athletes chapter
• Youth instructor for Florida's Clay Country Soccer Club
• Volunteered in association with Relay for Life for 2 years
• Participated with the Coastal Coalition for Children's Christmas Program to provide holiday gifts for underserved children
• Chairman of the Prom Committee in 2009-10

2011 GATORADE HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARD NOMINEES

The 2010-11 Gatorade National Players of the Year representing six male and six female sports who were nominated for the Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year awards.

For more information on the Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year awards and the Gatorade Player of the Year program, visit www.playeroftheyear.gatorade.com.

SOURCE Gatorade