CHICAGO (June 23, 2023) — In its 38th year of honoring the nation’s best High School athletes, Gatorade today announced Kami Winger of Colgan High School is the 2022-23 Gatorade Virginia Girls Soccer Player of the Year. Winger is the first Gatorade Virginia Girls Soccer Player of the Year to be chosen from Colgan 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 field, distinguishes Winger as Virginia’s best High School girls soccer player.

Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Girls Soccer Player of the Year award to be announced in June, Winger joins an elite alumni association of state award-winners in 12 sports, including Alyssa Thompson (2020-21, Harvard-Westlake School, Calif.), Mallory Swanson (2014-15, Mountain Vista High School, Colo.), Heather O’Reilly (2002-03 & 2001-02, East Brunswick High School, N.J.) and Abby Wambach (1997-98, Our Lady of Mercy School of Young Women, N.Y.).

The 5-foot-7 junior defender led the Sharks to a 21-1-1 record and the Class 6 State Championship this past season. Winger led a defense that allowed just three goals all season, two of which happened in the one game Winger did not play. A member of the U.S. Soccer Under-17 Women’s National Team, she’s ranked as the nation’s No. 13 recruit in the Class of 2024 by TopDrawerSoccer.com.

Winger has volunteered locally as a youth soccer coach and mentor, and she has donated her time by purchasing and preparing food for the unhoused.

“While many people know Kami is a solid force, she’s often overlooked because of her position,” said Lauryn Laslie, Head Coach of Woodbridge High School. “She’s an exceptional defender and shuts down any (offensive) counter. She also helped keep the region’s best forwards out of the Sharks’ defensive third. She’s a phenomenal player.”

In the classroom, Winger has maintained a weighted 4.28 GPA. She has made a verbal commitment to play soccer on scholarship at UCLA beginning in the fall of 2024.

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 the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which leverages experts including coaches, scouts, media and others as sources to help evaluate and determine the state winners in each sport.

Winger joins recent Gatorade Virginia Girls Soccer Players of the Year Shay Montgomery (2021-22 & 2020-21, Yorktown High School), Aria Nagai (2019-20, Chantilly High School), and Julia Leas (2018-19, James Madison High School), among the state’s list of former award winners.

Being a Gatorade Player of the Year means paying it forward for the next generation. Through Gatorade’s Play it Forward initiative, every Player of the Year receives a grant to give to one of Gatorade’s social impact partners, supporting Gatorade’s ambition to fuel the future of sport. To date, Gatorade Player of the Year winners’ grants have totaled more than $3.5 million across more than 1,300 organizations.

For nearly 40 years, Gatorade has honored High School athletes at the top of their game as teammates, supporting their communities and achieving academic success. From CEOs and coaches to star athletes and community leaders, Gatorade Player of the Year winners showcase the power of sport.

*** To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, check out past winners or to nominate student-athletes, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com or follow us on social media on Facebook at facebook.com/GatoradePOY, Instagram at instagram.com/Gatorade and Twitter at twitter.com/Gatorade. ***