ALLEGANY, N.Y., June 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In its 38th year of honoring the nation's most elite high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Angelina Napoleon of Allegany-Limestone Central School in Allegany, N.Y. is the 2022-23 Gatorade National Girls Track and Field Player of the Year. Napoleon won the prestigious award for her accomplishments on and off the field, joining an impressive group of former Gatorade National Girls Track and Field Players of the Year who have combined for more than 71 gold medals and 34 National Championships.

Napoleon was surprised with the trophy by her family, coaches and teammates. Check out a video of the announcement here.

The Gatorade Player of the Year award recognizes athletes not just for their excellence on the playing surface, but for their commitment in the classroom and impact in their community. Napoleon beat out more than half a million other student-athletes who compete in girls track and field nationwide, topping the list of state winners in girls track and field who collectively boast an incredible list of accomplishments, including 23 with signed National Letters of Intent to compete at Division I colleges/universities and 40 with a GPA of 4.0 and above. 

"Angelina Napoleon not only lowered the 2,000-meter steeplechase national record multiple times, but she also became the second-fastest female athlete in the event in American history," said Erik Boal, editor at DyeStat.com. "She demonstrated incredible range and versatility in 2023, excelling in the 800, mile and high jump in addition to becoming the only female athlete in American history to run under 6:20 in the 2,000 steeplechase and sub-2:04 in the 800."

The 5-foot-9 senior won the New Balance Nationals title in the 2,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 6:19.53, completing the most impressive season in the event in the U.S. prep history. Napoleon is now the only American female athlete in history to run sub-6:20 in the event on three occasions. She set the national high school record of 6:18.41 in the steeple at the New York Federation Championships, in addition to winning the 800-meter title in a personal-best 2:03.97, an event in which she also took second at the New Balance Nationals Outdoor. She ranks No. 11 nationally in the 1500 meters among U.S. girls prep competitors in 2023 with a clocking of 4:29.78. In addition, she ranks No. 8 in the steeple in the world this year and is the No. 16 all-time World Under-20 athlete.

A team leader in the school's investment club as well as the senior class secretary and a member of the student activities council, Napoleon has also volunteered locally with Girls on the Run, a youth-empowerment program.

Napoleon has maintained a 3.99 weighted GPA. She has signed a National Letter of Intent to compete on scholarship at North Carolina State this fall.

In addition to excellence on and off the field of play, Gatorade Players of the Year also pay it forward for the next generation. As part of Gatorade's Play it Forward initiative, Napoleon will receive a grant to give to one of Gatorade's social impact partners – Athlete Ally, Laureus USA, Move United, Women's Sports Foundation and Up2Us Sports – supporting Gatorade's ambition to fuel the future of sport. 

"The Gatorade Player of the Year award recognizes the next generation of athletes on their path to greatness," said Gatorade Portfolio president and general manager Michael Del Pozzo. "With an incredible resume on and off the field of play, Angelina joins the likes of Peyton Manning, Abby Wambach, Paige Bueckers and many other sports icons, all of whom have etched their names onto the prestigious Player of the Year trophy."

Each year, a selection committee evaluates the nation's top talent to choose one state winner from each of the 50 states as well as Washington D.C., in 12 different sports: football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, baseball, softball, boys and girls soccer, and boys and girls track & field. In all, 608 athletes are honored each year. From the pool of state winners, one national winner is selected in each of the 12 sports.

To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, check out past winners or to nominate student-athletes, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com or follow us on social media on Facebook at facebook.com/GatoradePOY, Instagram at instagram.com/Gatorade and Twitter at twitter.com/Gatorade.

About The Gatorade PortfolioThe Gatorade Portfolio, a division of PepsiCo (NASDAQ: PEP), is a connected performance and wellness ecosystem built to fuel all athletes and exercisers. Bringing together Gatorade, Fast Twitch, Propel, Evolve and Muscle Milk, the Gatorade Portfolio is the most complete offering in the category today, with a broad range of personalized solutions at every stage of the athlete journey. This integrated system of brands is built on Gatorade's 57-year history of studying athletes and is fueling the future of athletic performance and wellness by delivering solutions across hydration, protein, energy and all-day nutrition to fuel consumers, no matter how or why they sweat. For more information and a full list of product offerings, please visit www.gatorade.com. 

About PepsiCoPepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $86 billion in net revenue in 2022, driven by a complementary beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Lay's, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.  

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