Andrew Wiggins and Morgan Andrews Named Gatorade High School Athletes of the Year

LOS ANGELES, July 16, 2013 /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 11th annual Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year awards. Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year Andrew Wiggins (Huntington St. Joseph's Prep/Huntington, W. Va.) was named the 2013 Gatorade Male High School Athlete of the Year and Gatorade National Girls Soccer Player of the Year Morgan Andrews (Milford High School/Milford, N.H.) received 2013 Gatorade Female High School Athlete of the Year honors.

Wiggins and Andrews received their awards at a dinner emceed by ESPN's Stuart Scott and attended by Paul George (Indiana Pacers All-Star Forward), Philip Rivers (San Diego Chargers Quarterback), Abby Wambach (Two-time Olympic gold medalist and 1997-98 Gatorade New York Girls Soccer Player of the Year), Bryshon Nellum (2012 Olympian and 2006-07 Gatorade National Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year) and Misty-May Treanor (three-time Olympic gold medalist).

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," said Gatorade Vice President, Global & Sports Marketing Andrea Fairchild. "Andrew and Morgan are outstanding examples of what a leader and a student-athlete should exemplify."

2013 GATORADE HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS

Andrew Wiggins: The nation's unanimous No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2013, Wiggins averaged a double-double in just 25 minutes per game. A native of Toronto and a fixture on Team Canada's junior national team, Wiggins has twice anchored bronze medal squads at the international level. Bound for Kansas, he shot 58 percent from inside the arc as a high school senior.

• Two-time Gatorade West Virginia Player of the Year
• Led the Express to a 30-3 record and a No. 7 spot in the USA Today Super 25 national rankings
• Averaged 23.4 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.6 blocks and 2.5 assists per game this past season
• Led his team in points, rebounds and steals, averaging 23.4 points, 11.2 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game
• 2013 Naismith Award winner
• 2013 McDonald's All-American
• 2013 Jordan Brand Classic All-American
• 2013 Preseason All-USA selection as named by USA Today
• Finalist, 2013 Morgan Wootten Award
• Ranked as No. 1 senior by Rivals, Scout and ESPN
• Leading scorer with 15.2 points per game and second-leading rebounder with 7.6 rebounds per game last summer for Canada's U18 National Team
• Led Team Canada to bronze at the 2012 FIBA Americas U18 Championships
• Helped Canada's U17 National Team win bronze at the 2010 FIBA U17 World Championships
• 3.31 GPA
• Volunteer with free hoop clinics for low-income Huntington youth
• Goodwill visitor for Cabell Huntington Hospital for children
• Volunteer with US Marine Corps Toys for Tots Foundation

Morgan Andrews:  Only eight American athletes including LeBron James and Candace Parker boast the same hardware in their trophy case as Andrews, the ninth high school talent ever to repeat as a Gatorade national winner. She served as captain of the U.S. Soccer Under-17 Women's National Team throughout 2012, leading Team USA to the CONCACAF title last spring and an unbeaten record in group play at the 2012 FIFA U-17 World Cup. Also an All-State placekicker for her school's football team, Andrews is a member of the U.S. Under-20 Women's National Team. She scored a Division II-best 31 goals and passed for 18 assists in leading Milford to the program's first state title as a senior. Also the 2012 National Soccer Coaches Association of America High School Player of the Year, the Notre Dame signee concluded her prep soccer career with 114 goals and 53 assists.

• Became the ninth high school student-athlete in the award's 28-year history to repeat as Gatorade National Player of the Year
• First repeat Gatorade National Girls Soccer Player of the Year
• First three-time Gatorade New Hampshire Girls Soccer Player of the Year
• Scored 31 goals and passed for 18 assists while leading the Spartans to a 16-3-1 record and the Division II state title
• Missed five games because of commitments with U.S. Soccer Under-17 Women's National Team
• Placekicker for Milford High football team (All-State, 2011)
• 2012 National Soccer Coaches Association of America High School Player of the Year
• Rated No. 1 recruit in Class of 2013 by TopDrawerSoccer.com
• Three-peated as state Division II scoring leader
• Recorded 11 multi-goal games
• Recorded at least one point in all 15 games she played
• Scored six goals and passed for three assists in four-game run to Division II state title
• Scored both goals in 2-1 win over Souhegan High in Division II state final
• U.S. Soccer Under-23 Women's National Team player pool
• U.S. Soccer Under-20 Women's National Team member
• Captained U.S. Soccer Under-17 Women's National Team to gold medal at the 2012 CONCACAF Championship
• Captained U.S. Soccer Under-17 Women's National Team to an unbeaten record in group play at the 2012 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Azerbaijan last fall
• Concluded prep career with 114 goals and 53 assists
• 2011 U.S. Soccer Federation Youth Athlete of the Year Finalist
• 2011 NSCAA Youth Player of the Year (club)
• Two-time NSCAA High School All-American
• Three-time NSCAA Youth All-American (club)
• One of only 20 athletes in the Gatorade award's 28-year history to be named National Player of the Year as a non-senior (2012)
• Under-17 All-Event Team at the Elite Clubs National League Las Vegas Showcase in 2010
• Former member of the U.S. Soccer Under-15 and Under-14 Girls National Team
• U.S. Youth Soccer Bronze Medalist at the 2008 National Championships
• Four-time New Hampshire All-State First Team selection
• On Oct. 5, 2012, scored five goals in an away game soccer win, then caught up with the football team on the road, kicking three PATs and the game-winning, 33-yard field goal in the fourth quarter of a 24-21 upset victory
• Two-time Manchester Union Leader State Girls Soccer Player of the Year
• 3.17 GPA
• Founded Kicks for Cans charitable foundation, providing clinic training to area youth soccer players whose admission fee is a can of food, which is donated to the homeless
• Spearheaded collaboration with American Red Cross on "Holiday Cards for Heroes" campaign, coordinating mailing of more than 1,700 seasons greetings messages to troops deployed overseas
• Volunteers for Share Barn community outreach, providing clothing and moral support to area needy
• Volunteers for the Milford Community Athletic Association and coaches Milford FC youth teams
• Volunteer coach for the Nashua World Cup Soccer Club and the Inti Soccer Academy for disadvantaged youth

2013 GATORADE HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARD NOMINEES

The 2012-13 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