July 16, 2013
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Notre Dame women’s soccer incoming freshman midfielder Morgan Andrews (Milford, N.H./Milford) has been named the 2012-13 Gatorade National High School Athlete of the Year, it was announced Tuesday night at the W Hollywood Hotel. Andrews and the award’s male recipient for this year, basketball guard Andrew Wiggins of Canada and Huntington (W.Va.) Prep, will attend the 21st annual ESPY Awards, which will be broadcast live at 9 p.m. (ET) Wednesday on ESPN/ESPN HD from the NOKIA Theater L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles.
Andrews (who received her honor at Tuesday’s ceremony from the world leader in career goals, U.S. Women’s National Team forward Abby Wambach, and three-time U.S. Olympic gold medal-winning beach volleyball player Misty May-Treanor) is the second incoming Fighting Irish student-athlete (after women’s basketball standout Skylar Diggins in 2009) to earn the Gatorade National High School Athlete of the Year award.
The prestigious honor has been presented annually since 2003 to the nation’s top male and female athletes across each of the 12 sports (six for each gender) in which Gatorade presents a national player of the year award. A national panel of sports journalists, coaches, prep sports experts and analysts reviews each of the 12 Gatorade National Player of the Year résumés, with the primary athletic criteria for selecting the nation’s top overall male and female high school athlete as follows:
- Individual résumé, including historical context of accomplishments, statistics, honors, talent-level evaluation, etc.
- Team play, including leadership ability and impact on team success.
- Overall contributions to sport; including, but not limited to achievements/impact made at the club, national or international levels of competition, standout performances in multiple sports, etc.
Andrews is the second soccer player of either gender to earn the Gatorade National High School Athlete of the Year award, joining current University of Virginia and U.S. Women’s National Team midfielder Morgan Brian (2011) in that elite club.
Along with Diggins and Brian, some other previous recipients of the Gatorade National High School Athlete of the Year award include: NBA superstars LeBron James (2003) and Dwight Howard (2004), as well as women’s basketball notables Candace Parker (2004), Tina Charles (2006) and Maya Moore (2007).
“What makes this award so special is that it recognizes teamwork and contributions to collective success,” Notre Dame head coach Randy Waldrum said. “Both on and off the field, Morgan is an incredibly unselfish and giving person and we couldn’t be happier to hear that she is the Gatorade National High School Athlete of the Year. She will be an important addition to not only our program, but our entire University, during the next four years, and we are looking forward to having her on campus when we start preseason training next month.”
Back in May, Andrews became the first soccer player of either gender, as well as the ninth student-athlete in any sport, to be chosen as a two-time recipient of the Gatorade National High School Player of the Year during the award’s 28-year history. The only other student-athletes to earn the honor in their respective sport twice in their prep careers have been: James (boys basketball – 2002-03), Parker (girls basketball – 2003-04), Marion Jones (track & field – 1991-93), Greg Oden (boys basketball – 2005-06), Brandon Knight (boys basketball – 2009-10), Kenzie Fowler (softball – 2008-09), Cynthia Barboza (volleyball – 2004-05) and Lukas Verzbicas (boys cross country – 2010-11).
In addition, Andrews is the first incoming Notre Dame student-athlete to receive two Gatorade National High School Player of the Year honors, and eighth to garner the award once (second female soccer player). The other future Fighting Irish student-athlete who were Gatorade national selections during their prep tenures were: Ron Powlus (football – 1993), Denise Boylan (volleyball – 1997), Greg Dalby (boys soccer – 2003), Melissa Henderson (girls soccer – 2007), Diggins (girls basketball – 2009), Dillon Powers (boys soccer – 2009) and Molly Seidel (girls cross country – 2012).
Andrews is the nation’s No. 1-ranked high school player in the Class of 2013 and was a three-time Gatorade New Hampshire High School Player of the Year, as well as the 2012 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) High School Player of the Year. What’s more, she was a three-time NSCAA Youth All-America selection and a two-time NSCAA High School All-America choice after piling up 114 goals and 53 assists (both school and conference records) during her four-year career at Milford High School.
When she was chosen for her first Gatorade High School Player of the Year award in 2012, she became one of only 20 student-athletes to be chosen for the honor in her sport as a non-senior, joining an elite club that counts Henderson among its distinguished alumni. She also is the only prep athlete in any sport from the state of New Hampshire to earn Gatorade national honors.
Andrews has been a regular member of the U.S. Soccer youth national team program for the past five years, having recently completed her latest training camp with the U.S. Under-20 Women’s National Team last weekend in Portland, Ore., where she was teammates with current Fighting Irish sophomores Katie Naughton, Cari Roccaro and Crystal Thomas, and fellow Notre Dame incoming freshman Kaela Little.
Andrews (who also earned an invitation to train with the U.S. Under-23 National Team earlier this year) moved up to the U-20 and U-23 player pools after serving as captain of the U.S. Under-17 Women’s National Team during the 2011 and 2012 cycles and leading the Americans to the 2012 CONCACAF U-17 Championship in Guatemala, as well as a spot in the 2012 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Azerbaijan (the United States tied for first in its group but was eliminated on goal differential). During that two-year period with the U-17s, Andrews started 19 times (15 in international play), collecting two goals and two assists.
“I can talk to you about Morgan Andrews all day,” former U.S. U-17 Women’s National Team coach Albertin Montoya recently told USA Today High School Sports. “I think the world of this kid. She’s an incredible leader. She’s humble, driven, she’s a captain. She’s separate from the pack. On the field, she’s as good as it gets. Technique, vision, she’s special. Her understanding, her capability to control the game. Special. She’s driven to be the best. Andrews is the most complete player I’ve encountered at her age.”
In addition to her achievements on the soccer pitch, Andrews was a standout placekicker for the Milford High School football team, earning Division II all-state honors in 2011, and she maintained a 3.17 GPA in the classroom.
She also has been a significant contributor in her community, founding and directing the Kicks for Cans charitable initiative, helping to train area youth soccer players at clinics where attendees bring canned goods for area food banks as the admission fee. Andrews also has served as a community-outreach volunteer for Share Barn, providing clothing and moral support to area needy.
Furthermore, Andrews donates her time as a coach for the Nashua World Cup Soccer Club and the Inti Soccer Academy for disadvantaged youth. Last winter, she spearheaded collaboration with American Red Cross on a “Holiday Cards for Heroes” campaign, coordinating mailing of more than 1,700 encouraging holiday messages to troops deployed overseas.
Andrews and her Notre Dame teammates will kick off the 2013 season at 1 p.m. (ET) Aug. 14 with an exhibition match against Xavier at the Notre Dame Practice Field (east of Eck Baseball Stadium). The Fighting Irish open the regular season at 5:30 p.m. (ET) Aug. 23, playing host to Illinois at Alumni Stadium.
Ticket packages for the 2013 Notre Dame women’s soccer season may be purchased through the University’s Murnane Family Athletics Ticket Office by calling (574) 631-7356 or visiting the ticket windows at Gate 9 of Purcell Pavilion weekdays from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. (ET). Tickets also can be ordered on-line 24 hours a day with a major credit card through the official Notre Dame athletics ticketing web site, UND.com/tickets. Groups wishing to attend Fighting Irish soccer matches also can receive a discounted ticket rate — contact Rita Baxter in the Murnane Family Athletics Ticket Office to learn more.
For more information on the Fighting Irish women’s soccer program, follow Notre Dame on Twitter (@NDSoccer or @NDsoccernews), like the Fighting Irish on Facebook (facebook.com/NDWomenSoccer) or sign up for the Irish ALERT text-messaging system through the “Fan Center” pulldown menu on the main page at UND.com.
— ND —