Edmond Santa Fe junior, Natalie Duggan, received the title of the 2023-24 Gatorade Oklahoma Girls Cross Country Player of the Year.
The award recognizes athletic excellence, academic achievements and community efforts. Players are selected through nomination and then asked to send in their stats and grades. A letter of recommendation is required to be nominated. After being selected, students get to choose a local charity to donate $1,000 to through the Gatorade player of the year grant.
The award is seen as one of the most prestigious accomplishments a high school athlete can achieve. The award comes in the form of a title and a personalized Gatorade jersey.
“I just feel really honored and glad to see that my work is paying off,” Natalie Duggan said. “I’d also like to say thank you to my coach, Coach Lewis. I wasn’t even going to try for the award because I didn’t think I was gonna get it, but Lewis pulled everything together and here we are.”
Duggan has maintained a 4.17 GPA throughout her three years of high school and finished 15th at the Nike Cross South Regional Championships. Natalie also won The Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon’s 5k race two years in a row.
