Gatorade® National Boys Soccer Player Of The Year: Lucas Mendes

ARLINGTON, Va., May 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- In its 31st year of honoring the nation's best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with USA TODAY High School Sports, today announced Lucas Mendes of Washington-Lee High School (Arlington, Va.) as its 2015-16 Gatorade National Boys Soccer Player of the Year. Mendes was surprised with the news at school by ESPN analyst and former MLS MVP Taylor Twellman.

"It was exciting for me to be able to surprise Lucas with the Gatorade National Soccer Player of the Year award, especially because he is such a deserving student-athlete," said Twellman. "Lucas is a well-rounded individual who has already accomplished so much on and off the field, so it's an honor for me to welcome him into the prestigious Gatorade Player of the Year family."

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 Mendes as the nation's best high school boys soccer player. A national advisory panel comprised of sport-specific experts and sports journalists helped select Mendes from nearly 432,000 high school boys soccer players nationwide. Lucas is now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade Male High School Athlete of the Year award, to be presented at a special ceremony prior to The ESPY Awards in July.

The 5-foot-5 senior forward has led the Generals to a 9-0-2 record and the No. 1 slot in the Washington Post AllMet rankings as they head into the playoffs. In 10 games played this season, Mendes has scored 10 goals and passed for five assists.

Mendes participated in a U.S. Soccer Under-20 Men's National Team camp in January and was the only member of the 36-person roster who played high school soccer this year. He is ranked as the nation's No. 24 recruit in the Class of 2016 by College Soccer News and is ranked No. 33 by TopDrawerSoccer.com.

Mendes has maintained a weighted 3.22 GPA in the classroom. A member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, he has volunteered locally as a youth soccer coach. He has also donated his time to the Color of Leadership Conference, where he served as a mentor and participated in workshops to help middle school students of color discover and utilize resources to achieve their personal goals.

"Lucas really puts the 'attack' into the title attacking midfielder," said TopDrawerSoccer.com's Senior Editor for High Schools Sheldon Shealer. "He's always a threat to score, and so often sets up a teammate for a chance. He's quick, shifty and excellent one-on-one. He's very competitive and very confident. I expect him to be an immediate impact player in college and, despite his small stature, he'll pose matchup problems for a lot of the taller, physical defenders given his speed and skill in tight spaces."

Lucas has signed a National Letter of Intent to play soccer on scholarship at the University of Virginia this fall.

"Without question, Lucas is deserving of recognition as the nation's best high school boys soccer player based on his statistics on the field and the impact his accomplishments have had on Washington-Lee's success," said Gatorade Chief Marketing Officer Morgan Flatley. "But he is also a shining example to peers and aspiring young athletes of what a leader and a student-athlete should be. He represents everything we hope for in a Gatorade Player of the Year recipient."

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. The selection process is administered by the Gatorade high school sports leadership team in partnership with USA TODAY High School Sports, which work with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport.

Former notable Gatorade National Players of the Year include:

• Two-time Super Bowl Champion Peyton Manning
• 2015 NBA first overall pick Karl-Anthony Towns
• Three-time WNBA champion Maya Moore
• Four-time track & field gold medalist Allyson Felix
• Silver Medalist and Pro Beach Volleyball Player April Ross
• Three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw

For more information on the Gatorade Player of the Year program, including nomination information, a complete list of former winners, and future announcement dates, visit the Gatorade Player of the Year website at http://www.gatorade.com/poy, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GatoradePOY or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Gatorade.

SOURCE Gatorade

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