CHICAGO (June 24, 2010) – In its 25th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with ESPN RISE, today announced Kendell Williams of Kell High School as its 2009-10 Gatorade Georgia Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year. Williams is the first Gatorade Georgia Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year to be chosen from Kell High School.
The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the track, distinguishes Williams as Georgia’s best high school girls track & field athlete. Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year award to be announced in June, Williams joins an elite alumni association of state award-winners in 12 sports, including Allyson Felix (2001-02, Los Angeles Baptist, Calif.), Derek Jeter (1991-92, Kalamazoo HS, Mich.), Candace Parker (2001-02, Naperville Central HS, Ill.), Abby Wambach (1997-98, Our Lady of Mercy, N.Y.), Mark Sanchez (2004-05, Mission Viejo HS, Calif.), Lolo Jones (1997-98, Roosevelt HS, Iowa) and Bianca Knight (2006-07, Ridgeland HS, Miss.).
The 5-foot-9 freshman set state records in the 100-meter high hurdles and 300-meter intermediate hurdles this spring while winning both events at the Class 5A state meet. Williams won the 300 hurdles in 41.30 seconds, the fifth-fastest time in the country among prep competitors at the time of her selection, and captured the 100 hurdles in 13.69 seconds. She also won the 100 and 400 hurdles at June’s New Balance Nationals and set a national freshman record while finishing second in the pentathlon at the Nike Indoor Nationals in March.
Williams has maintained an unweighted 3.44 GPA in the classroom. She has volunteered locally as part of group activities for orphaned children in Cobb County and on behalf of a school group that helps feed the homeless.
"Even though she’s just a freshman, Kendell has become one of the leaders on our team," said Kell High head coach Andi Jenkins. "She’s one of the most humble and respected athletes in the area."
Williams will begin her sophomore year of high school this fall.
The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. The selection process is administered by ESPN RISE and the Gatorade high school sports leadership team, which work with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport.
To keep up to date on the latest happenings, become a fan of Gatorade Player of the Year on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. For more on the Gatorade Player of the Year program, including nomination information, a complete list of past winners, and the announcement of the Gatorade National Player of the Year, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com.
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