Gatorade® National Girls Cross Country Runner Of The Year: Anna Rohrer

MISHAWAKA, Ind., Jan. 28, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- In its 30^th year of honoring the nation's best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with USA TODAY High School Sports, today announced Anna Rohrer of Mishawaka High School (Mishawaka, Ind.) as its 2014-15 Gatorade National Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year. Rohrer was surprised with the news at school by American record holder in the 5,000 meters and nine-time All-American Molly Huddle.

"It felt great to surprise Anna with the Gatorade National Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year award and welcome her into one of the most prestigious legacy programs in high school sports," Huddle said.  "Gatorade has been on the sidelines fueling athletic performance for years, so to be recognized by a brand that understands the game and truly helps athletes perform is a huge honor for these kids."

The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the racecourse, distinguishes Rohrer as the nation's best high school girls cross country runner. A national advisory panel comprised of sport-specific experts and sports journalists helped select Rohrer from nearly 215,000 high school girls cross country runners nationwide. Rohrer is now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade Female High School Athlete of the Year award, to be presented at a special ceremony prior to The ESPY Awards in July.

The 5-foot-6 senior raced to her second career national title at the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships this past season, breaking the tape in 17:13. The state's Gatorade Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year as a sophomore, Rohrer was undefeated in 2014, winning the individual state championship in a meet-record 17:08.8 and the Foot Locker Midwest Regional championships in 16:57. She also swept her Sectional, Regional and Semi-State championships, and captured the Mid-East Cross Country Championships. Rohrer missed her junior outdoor distance campaign due to injury, but battled back to win a national outdoor track championship at 5,000 meters last spring.

Rohrer has maintained a 3.86 GPA in the classroom. A member of the South Bend/Mishawaka Youth Leadership Council as well as the City of Mishawaka Mayor's Youth Council, she won a gold medal for her flute solo at the Indiana State School Music Association's statewide Solo Contest. Also an active member of the St. Monica Church Antioch Youth Group as well as 4-H, Rohrer has served as editor of her school newspaper and as a peer mentor for drug-awareness outreach in association with DARE. She plays 1^st chair flute and piccolo with four different band ensembles in association with Mishawaka High's music program.

"Rohrer was able to regain her national-championship form of 2012 and even surpass it, which is astonishing," said DyeStat.com Editor-in-Chief Doug Binder. "After winning the Foot Locker title as a sophomore, multiple injuries removed her from the cross country radar. Her response to that adversity and her tenacious desire to be great are the biggest reasons why she was able to come back so strong to win a second Foot Locker title."

Rohrer remains undecided upon a collegiate destination.

"Anna is an exceptional student-athlete who has earned recognition as the nation's best high school girls cross country runner while also excelling in the classroom and making a difference in her community," said Gatorade Vice President, Brand Marketing Morgan Flatley. "Anna's statistics on the racecourse speak for themselves, but even more impressive is the impact she has had on her teammates and the example she sets for younger student-athletes. Anna represents everything we look to celebrate 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:

• Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Peyton Manning
• WNBA all-time leading scorer and rebounder Lisa Leslie
• NFL all-time leading rusher Emmitt Smith
• Three-time beach volleyball gold medalist Kerri Walsh
• Four-time track & field gold medalist Allyson Felix

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 Web site 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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