Candace Hill selected Gatorade National Female Athlete of the Year

Rockdale County (Georgia) star, who set national high school 100-meter dash record, is first sophomore to receive award

By Erik Boal, DyeStatCAL Editor

Candace Parker walked off the stage with the trophy Tuesday night.

However, it was the young star who shares the same first name as the 2-time WNBA MVP and Olympic gold medalist who generated the most buzz despite not being able to attend the 13th annual Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year Award Ceremony.

Candace Hill, a sophomore at Rockdale County High in Georgia, was chosen as the Gatorade National Female Athlete of the Year in Los Angeles.

Kyler Murray, a quarterback from Allen High in Texas who has signed with Texas A&M, was selected the National Male Athlete of the Year and was presented by recent No. 1 NBA draft pick and 2014 Gatorade Male Athlete of the Year National Karl-Anthony Towns among other professional stars.

Hill, who set the national high school record in the 100-meter dash June 20 at the Brooks PR Invitational in Washington by running a wind-legal 10.98 seconds, was unable to accept the award in person since she's competing for Team USA at the ninth IAAF World Youth Championships which begin Wednesday in Cali, Colombia.

Hill became the first track and field athlete to earn Gatorade National Female Athlete of the Year honors since Chanelle Price in 2008. Allyson Felix was the first Gatorade National Female Athlete of the Year selection in 2003.

It was the first time a female underclassmen in any sport was chosen for the national award and the first time a sophomore in either gender was recognized.

The last time a girls track and field athlete and football player grabbed national player of the year honors was in 2008 when former Mater Dei and USC quarterback Matt Barkley was selected along with Price.

Grant Fisher, who recently completed a stellar prep career at Grand Blanc, Mich., was the only athlete to return from last year's Gatorade ceremony after receiving national boys cross country honors for the second time. The Stanford signee and repeat winner at Foot Locker nationals joins Lukas Verzbicas (2009-10) as the only Gatorade two-time national cross country honorees.

Anna Rohrer, a graduate of Mishawaka High in Indiana who has signed with Notre Dame, returned to California for the ceremony after capturing her second Foot Locker national cross country title in San Diego in December. Rohrer earned Gatorade state honors following her first Foot Locker win as a sophomore, but celebrated her first national award at the ceremony.

Vista Murrieta junior Michael Norman, who set the state record June 27 in the 200 at the U.S. Junior Nationals in Oregon by running a wind-legal 20.24 seconds, was the first California athlete to receive national boys track and field honors since 2008.

Norman joined Highland graduate and UCLA-bound softball star Rachel Garcia, along with former Mater Dei basketball standout and Connecticut signee Katie Lou Samuelson as the California athletes to receive Gatorade national honors this year.

In addition to Parker, U.S. Women's World Cup gold medalists Abby Wambach and Julie Foudy were also female presenters. NBA champion Draymond Green, NFL stars J.J. Watt and DeMarco Murray, along with former U.S. men's soccer star Landon Donovan were male presenters.