CAMERON BOOZER AND JANE HEDENGREN NAMED GATORADE BEST PLAYERS OF THE YEAR

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Matthew Stafford Present Highest Honor in High School Sports

LOS ANGELES, July 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Tonight, Gatorade named incoming Duke University basketball star Cameron Boozer and Brigham Young University (BYU) Cross Country and Track & Field commit Jane Hedengren as the 2024-25 Gatorade Best Male and Best Female Players of the Year, distinguishing the pair as the best high school athletes in the nation. Two-time Gatorade Best Female Player of the Year and 2015-16 & 2016-17 Gatorade National Girls Track & Field Player of the Year Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and 2005-06 Gatorade Texas Football Player of the Year Matthew Stafford presented the honors live on stage at The 2025 ESPY Awards. With their selection, Boozer and Hedengren become part of an elite alumni group, which features standout athletes like Jayson Tatum, Candace Parker, Ava Brown and Cooper Flagg.

Hailing from Christopher Columbus High School in Florida, Boozer is recognized for his exceptional performance, leadership and impact on and off the basketball court. He is set to continue his academic and athletic career at Duke University this fall. Hedengren, a standout from Timpview High School in Utah, became just the third female athlete in history to earn Gatorade National Player of the Year honors in both cross country and track & field ahead of her Best Female Player of the Year win, celebrating her outstanding achievements across multiple distance events, in the classroom and her community. She will further her education and compete in cross country and track & field at BYU in the fall.

"Gatorade Player of the Year recognizes exceptional athletes who are paving the way for the future of sport," said Gatorade Chief Brand Officer Anuj Bhasin. "We're proud to celebrate the remarkable accomplishments of this year's group, and their bright paths ahead through a one-of-a-kind experience. For decades, these standout individuals have achieved greatness both in their sport and in their communities. We're excited to see how Cameron and Jane carry the legacy forward."

The Gatorade Best Player of the Year announcement caps off an exclusive, week-long experience in Los Angeles, honoring the Gatorade National Players of the Year across 12 sports. The brand rolled out the red carpet for these top high school athletes – celebrating their achievements in a way only Gatorade can. Highlights included meeting their sports heroes and Gatorade athletes, giving back to the LA community, engaging in educational and celebratory events, experiencing styling sessions, walking The ESPY Awards red carpet, and more.

This year, Gatorade's 60-year legacy of sports science was on display at the Player of the Year Awards. Throughout the week, the 11 Gatorade National Players of the Year experienced Gatorade's superior science in action during an immersive field day, alongside some of their favorite professional athletes including Karl-Anthony Towns, Lisa Leslie, Puka Nacua, Abby Wambach, April Ross and more. Throughout the experience, athletes participated in a variety of drills, personalized testing and analysis from the Gatorade Sports Science Institute to better understand the impact of dehydration and to receive personalized insights on their specific fueling needs.  

2024-25 GATORADE BEST PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS

Cameron Boozer: The 6-foot-10 senior power forward led the Explorers to a 30-3 record. Also the 2022-23 Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year, Boozer averaged 22.1 points, 11.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.5 blocks this season and led Columbus to a fourth straight Class 7A state championship in March. Boozer was also a Naismith Trophy Award semifinalist and a member of Team USA's Nike Hoop Summit squad.

Below are additional facts about Boozer:

• Boozer is ranked as the nation's No. 2 recruit in the Class of 2025 by 247Sports, Rivals.com and On3.com.
• He has volunteered locally on behalf of Fellowship Church by assisting with youth services, including leading weekly bible study. He has also donated his time as a mathematics peer tutor, both in algebra and geometry.
• Boozer has maintained a 4.82 weighted GPA in the classroom.

Jane Hedengren:

(Cross Country): The 5-foot-11 senior broke the tape at the Nike Cross Nationals Final this past season, clocking a course-record time of 16:32.7 to win by a meet-record 41-second margin. Hedengren also won the Nike Cross Southwest Regionals with a meet-record time of 15:50.1 and won the UHSAA Class 5A state meet in 16:21.5, leading the Thunderbirds to the team title. The state's returning Gatorade Girls Cross Country Player of the Year, she concluded her prep distance career as a three-time state champion.

(Track & Field): The senior distance talent won the 3000-meter run at the Nike Outdoor Nationals in a national record clocking of 8:40.03 this past season. Hedengren also set national high school records in the mile, 2-mile and 5,000-meter run this past season. On successive weekends, Hedengren clocked a 4:23.50 at the HOKA Festival of Miles and 9:17.75 in the 2-mile at the Brooks PR Invitational.

Below are additional facts about Hedengren:   

• Both the 2024-25 Gatorade National Girls Cross Country and National Girls Track & Field Player of the Year and returning Gatorade State Player of the Year for track & field, she won a pair of titles at the UHSAA state meet in the 1600- and 3200-meter events, leading the Thunderbirds to the Class 5A championship.
• Hedengren has volunteered on behalf of the Road Runner Junior Club as a coach and race day official and has also donated her time as part of multiple community service initiatives with her church youth group.
• Hedengren has maintained a 3.79 weighted GPA in the classroom.

To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, check out past winners or to nominate student athletes, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com.

About The Gatorade Portfolio

The 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, 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 60-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.

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