Cooper Flagg and Sadie Engelhardt earn top player honors from Gatorade
Source Pepsico
Gatorade recognizes outstanding amateur athletes with its Gatorade Best Player of the Year award. In July, Gatorade brought 12 Gatorade National Players of the Year to Los Angeles for an immersive week designed to celebrate their accomplishments, meet professional athletes and have an opportunity to inspire younger athletes.
Through Gatorade's Equity in Sports initiative, Gatorade brings some of its honorees to local sports organizations across Los Angeles such as Hollywood High School to surprise LA Rec&Parks and Girls Athletic Leadership School. USC guard Juju Watkins, the 2022-23 Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year, was also in attendance to present each organization with a $25,000 donation.
The 12 National Players of the Year received exclusive access to Gatorade's limited-edition Drop, co-created with Uninterrupted, with Engelhardt and Flagg as the first to model the collection. The Drop, made up of two capsules, includes a vintage-inspired Gatorade branded track jacket, towel, t-shirt, limited-edition snapback, and Gx bottle. It will be available for sale on the brand's free membership platform, Gatorade iD.
Finally, every Gatorade Player of the Year receives a grant to donate to a social impact partner. From there, each athlete may also submit a short video explaining why the organization they chose is deserving of a Spotlight Grant, which awards an additional $10,000 to the organization. This year's twelve Spotlight Grant recipients joined Gatorade in Los Angeles for the Player of the Year Awards celebration.
To date, Gatorade Player of the Year winners' grants have totaled more than $4.9 million across more than 1,600 organizations.
2023-24 Gatorade Best Player of the Year Award Winner: Sadie Engelhardt
California's three-time Gatorade Girls Track & Field Player of the Year, Engelhardt finished as the national leader in four events this past season and sparked the Cougars to a second-place team finish at the state meet. She crossed the line in 4:28.46 seconds to break the national high school record in the mile at the HOKA Festival of Miles and clocked a 4:08.86 in the 1500-meter run while competing against pros at the Portland Track Festival. That time ranks No. 5 in U.S. girls' prep history and qualified her for the U.S. Olympic Trials.
Below are additional facts about Engelhardt:
- The Gatorade State Girls Cross Country Player of the Year from 2022-24, Engelhardt broke the California record in 1600 with 4:32.06 at the state meet, the fastest time ever in the event in a meet with high school-only competitors.
- Earlier in the season at the Azusa Pacific Meet of Champions, she broke the tape in the 800 in 2:03.46, which is the nation's No. 1 time by a prep girl in 2024.
- Volunteered locally on behalf of Runners For Public Lands, helping to clean trails and other places to run around Ventura County.
- Engelhardt has maintained a weighted 4.59 GPA in the classroom.
- Made a verbal commitment to compete on a scholarship at NC State beginning in the fall of 2025.
2023-24 Gatorade Best Player of the Year Award Winner: Cooper Flagg
The nation's No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2024 by ESPN, 247Sports, and Rivals, Flagg led the Montverde Eagles to a 34-0 record and the Chipotle Nationals title. The 2021-22 Gatorade Maine Player of the Year, Flagg is a McDonald's All-American Game selection, the 2024 Naismith Award National High School Player of the Year, and a member of both Nike Hoop Summit Team USA and the Jordan Brand Classic squad. Below are additional facts about Flagg:
- The 2021-22 Gatorade Maine Player of the Year averaged 16.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.7 blocks and 1.6 steals this past season.
- In addition, he shot 55.1 percent from the field during the season.
- Participated in fundraisers for both the Ronald McDonald House and Donovan Kurt Memorial Cancer Fund, as well as volunteered at youth basketball camps and clinics in both Maine and Florida.
- Flagg has maintained a weighted 4.10 GPA in the classroom.
- Signed a national letter of intent to play basketball on a scholarship at Duke University this fall.
