MACKENZIE GORE and SYDNEY MCLAUGHLIN Named Gatorade High School Athletes of the Year

LOS ANGELES, July 12, 2017 /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 at the 15^th annual Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year awards. Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year MacKenzie Gore (Whiteville High School/Whiteville, N.C.) was named the 2017 Gatorade Male Athlete of the Year and Gatorade National Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year Sydney McLaughlin (Union Catholic High School/Scotch Plains, N.J.) received the 2017 Gatorade Female Athlete of the Year honor for the second consecutive year.

Gore and McLaughlin were honored at the awards dinner emceed by ESPN SportsCenter On The Road Host Sage Steele and attended by Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves center and 2014 Gatorade Male High School Athlete of the Year), Abby Wambach (former U.S. Women's National Soccer Team forward and 1997-98 Gatorade New York Girls Soccer Player of the Year), D'Angelo Russell (Brooklyn Nets point guard and No. 2 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft), Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers quarterback and Super Bowl XLV MVP), April Ross (Olympic Silver Medalist and 1999-2000 Gatorade National Volleyball Player of the Year), Tamika Catchings (4-time Olympic Gold Medalist and 1996-97 Gatorade Texas Girls Basketball Player of the Year), Christian McCaffrey (Carolina Panthers running back and 2012-13 and 2013-14 Gatorade Colorado Football Player of the Year), and Deshaun Watson (Houston Texans quarterback and 2013-14 Gatorade Georgia Football Player 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. One National Player of the Year is awarded 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 recognized during the high school athletic season.

All Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year nominees will walk The ESPYS red carpet and be featured as special guests during The ESPYS. The show will take place Wednesday evening and air live on ABC at 8:00 p.m. ET.

"For 32 years, Gatorade has had the privilege of honoring the best and brightest athletes in sport by awarding them the Gatorade Player of the Year not only for excelling on the playing field, but also in their classrooms and communities," said Gatorade Senior Vice President and General Manager Brett O'Brien. "MacKenzie and Sydney embody the true spirit of the Gatorade brand at its core and we're excited to see what's in store for their futures."

2017 GATORADE HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS

MacKenzie Gore: The 6-foot-2, 175-pound senior left-handed pitcher, outfielder and first baseman led the Wolfpack to a 21-6 record and the Class 1A state championship. Gore posted a 9-0 record on the mound with a 0.22 ERA and 132 strikeouts in 63.1 innings through 27 games. He also batted .480 with six home runs, 25 RBI and an .880 slugging percentage.

• Ranked as the nation's No. 4 recruit in the Class of 2017 by Baseball America
• Ranked No. 5 by Perfect Game
• Member of the National Honor Society
• Volunteered on behalf of Rady's Children's Hospital in San Diego and in association with his church youth group
• 4.07 weighted GPA
• Drafted No. 3 overall to the San Diego Padres in the 2017 Major League Baseball draft

Sydney McLaughlin: The returning Gatorade Female High School Athlete of the Year broke her own national high school and World Junior (Under-20) records in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles with a time of 54.03 seconds at the Non-Public A championship meet this past season. She also won the 400-meter dash in a meet-record 51.88 and the 200-meter dash in a state-record 22.96, both of which ranked as the No. 1 times among U.S. prep competitors in 2017.

• Won the 400 hurdles at the New Balance Nationals Outdoor in 54.22—the seventh national title of her career to go with a World Youth title
• Her 38.90 time in the 300 hurdles at April's Arcadia Invitational set another national prep record by more than a full second
• Clocked the fastest 400-meter relay split in high school history (49.85) at NBNO
• Broke national records in both the 300 and 400-meter races during the indoor season
• 3.46 GPA
• Volunteer for the Central Jersey Chapter of HOPE Worldwide
• Participated in multiple community service projects, including distributing fire safety and disaster relief information on behalf of the American Red Cross
• Served as a soup kitchen staffer and as part of a teen outreach project in association with her church community
• Donated her time to Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts

• Signed a National Letter of Intent to compete on an athletic scholarship at the University of Kentucky this fall

2017 GATORADE HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARD NOMINEES

The 2016-17 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.gatorade.com/poy.

SOURCE Gatorade

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