Gatorade Player of the Year awards
Year Winner Hometown College
1986 Susan Anderson Deming , WA Texas
1987 Kris Durham Scotch Plains , NJ Seton Hall
1988 Vicki Hall Indianapolis , IN Texas
1989 Lisa Harrison Louisville , KY Tennessee
1990 Lisa Leslie Inglewood , CA USC
1991 Michelle Marciniak Allentown , PA Notre Dame / Tennessee
1992 Katie Smith Logan , OH Ohio State
1993 La'Keshia Frett Hampton , VA Georgia
1994 Monick Foote Wilmington , DE Virginia
1995 Stephanie White West Lebanon , IN Purdue
1996 Jamie Walz Fort Thomas , KY Western Kentucky
1997 Nikki Teasley Frederick , MD North Carolina
1998 Tamika Williams Dayton , OH UConn
1999 Nicole Kaczmarski Middle Island , NY UCLA
2000 Shereka Wright Copperas Cove , TX Purdue
2001 Shyra Ely Indianapolis , IN Tennessee
2002 Ann Strother Highlands Ranch , CO UConn
2003 Candace Parker Naperville , IL Tennessee
2004 Candace Parker Naperville , IL Tennessee
2005 Abby Waner Highlands Ranch , CO Duke
The Gatorade Player of the Year awards are given annually to up and coming high school student-athletes in the United States. They are given for boys' baseball, boys' football, girls' softball, girls' volleyball, boys' basketball, girls' basketball, boys' cross country, girls' cross country, boys' soccer, girls' soccer, boys' track & field, and girls' track & field. A State Player of the Year award is given to the best student-athlete in each of the twelve sports in the District of Columbia and each of the fifty states, where each sport is recognized as an interscholastic sport. Selection is based on three criteria: athletic achievement, academic excellence, and exemplary character (including sportsmanship, and participation in community and other activities). Twelve National Player of the Year awards are then given, to the best student-athlete in each of the twelve sports, chosen from the state winners in the respective sport. Finally, one male Athlete of the Year and one female Athlete of the Year are selected from the twelve National Player of the Year recipients. The two winners are voted on by a national panel that includes approximately 400 sports journalists, coaches, and others. The two athletes of the year receive their awards at a special ceremony prior to The ESPY Awards, in Los Angeles, California. The Gatorade Company established these awards in 1986. The selection process was administered by ESPN RISE, which was ESPN's division for high-school sports. The selection process is currently administered by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee. Past national winners include Peyton Manning and Emmitt Smith for football, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant for basketball, Allyson Felix for track and field, and Kerri Walsh for volleyball.