Grayson's 5-foot-9 senior midfielder/forward Ella Stevens was named Gatorade's Georgia Girls Soccer Player of the Year earlier in May. Today, she was surprised in school as she was announced as the 2015-16 Gatorade National Girls Soccer Player of the Year.
ESPN analyst and former MLS MVP Taylor Twellman went to the Longanville high school to give Stevens the news personally.
“Ella really deserves to be this year’s Gatorade National Girls Soccer Player of the Year because she symbolizes everything the award stands for,” Twellman said in a release. “Not only has Ella impressed on the field, but she’s also a good student and is a positive influence in the community. I’m excited to follow her career at Duke and see what she will accomplish in the future.”
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
• Four-time track & field gold medalist Allyson Felix
• Silver Medalist and Pro Beach Volleyball Player April Ross
• Three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw
Stevens was the Gatorade State Player of the Year two years running. She scored 25 goals and passed for 11 assists this past season, leading the Rams (14-4) to the second round of the Class AAAAAA state tournament. Stevens was a member of the U.S. Soccer Under-20 Women’s Team during its successful World Cup qualifying campaign in December 2015.
Stevens has signed to play at Duke this fall.
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