Gatorade® National Girls Track & Field Athlete Of The Year: Sydney McLaughlin

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., June 27, 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 Sydney McLaughlin of Union Catholic High School (Scotch Plains, N.J.) as its 2015-16 Gatorade National Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year. McLaughlin was surprised with the news in El Segundo, Calif. at El Segundo High School by U.S. Olympian Allyson Felix.

"I still remember the day I was honored as the Gatorade National Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year and winning the award is one of those moments I'll never forget," said Felix. "It's such a rare accomplishment, so I was honored to be part of today's celebration by surprising Sydney with the award and welcoming her to the 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 track, distinguishes McLaughlin as the nation's best high school girls track & field athlete. A national advisory panel comprised of sport-specific experts and sports journalists helped select McLaughlin from nearly 478,000 girls track & field athletes nationwide. She 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.

A two-time Gatorade State Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year, McLaughlin won the 400-meter intermediate hurdles at the New Balance Nationals Outdoor championships with a time of 54.46 seconds, breaking a 32-year-old national prep record set by former U.S. Olympian Leslie Maxie in 1984. The 5-foot-8 hurdler eclipsed the previous standard by a yawning 0.74 seconds and the time ranks as the World No. 1 among U-20 competitors in 2016. Her 400-meter dash clocking of 51.87 at the state Meet of Champions is the fastest U-18 time in the world this year, broke her own state record and McLaughlin won the third national 400 hurdles title of her career this past weekend at the USATF Junior Outdoor Championships, breaking the tape in 54.54. She will compete in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials next month. Her season-best time in the 400-meter dash is the 15th-fastest in U.S. prep history. She also owns this season's national No. 14 wind-legal clocking in the 200-meter dash (23.53). McLaughlin's historic 50.93 auto-timed 400-meter split at NBNO anchored Union Catholic's national prep record-breaking Swedish medley relay quartet (2:07.9).

McLaughlin has maintained a 3.55 GPA in the classroom. A volunteer for the Central Jersey Chapter of Hope Worldwide, she has participated in multiple community service projects throughout Perth Amboy, including distributing fire safety and disaster relief information to residents on behalf of the American Red Cross. McLaughlin has also donated her time to Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts in Toms River, especially the cleanup of Cattus Island Park. In addition to serving as a soup kitchen staffer and as part of a teen outreach project in association with her church community, McLaughlin has assisted at a local youth track event as a meet official. The founder of her school's Juggling Club, she volunteered at an area juggling camp last summer.

"In a year saturated with an unprecedented number of international-level prep stars across the country, Sydney has clearly emerged as the nation's supernova," said Rich Gonzalez of Track & Field News. "Competing in the sport's most physically grueling event, her incredible stamina and exceptional rhythm over the hurdles at such an early stage of her career makes her the nation's best prospect among the few elite high schoolers slated to compete at the U.S. Olympic Trials."

McLaughlin will begin her senior year of high school this fall.

"Without question, Sydney is deserving of recognition as the nation's best high school girls track & field athlete based on her statistics on the track and the impact her accomplishments have had on Union Catholic's success," said Gatorade Chief Marketing Officer Morgan Flatley. "She is also a shining example to peers and aspiring young athletes of what a leader and a student-athlete should be. She 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
• 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 The Gatorade Company

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