Gatorade(R) National Baseball Player of the Year: Kaleb Cowart

/PRNewswire/ -- In its 25th year of honoring the nation's best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with ESPN RISE, today announced Kaleb Cowart of Cook High School (Adel, Ga.) as its 2009-10 Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year. Cowart was surprised with the news while he was taking a baseball team photo at Cook High School by 13-year Major League Baseball veteran Delino DeShields, also a Gatorade State Baseball Player of the Year as a high school senior.

"It felt great to surprise Kaleb with the Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year award and welcome him into one of the most prestigious legacy programs in high school sports," said DeShields, who stole 463 bases in his distinguished career, capping the 1997 season as the National League leader in triples. "Gatorade has been on the sidelines fueling athletic performance for years, so to be recognized by a brand that understands the game and truly helps athletes perform is a huge honor for these kids."

By claiming the 219th National Player of the Year trophy to be awarded in the program's 25-year history, Cowart joins two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard (2003-04, Southwest Atlanta Christian, Atlanta) and 2010 NCAA Final Four MVP Maya Moore (2006-07, Collins Hill, Suwanee), both of whom were ultimately named Gatorade High School Athletes of the Year, as the only high school athletes from the state of Georgia to earn Gatorade National Player of the Year recognition in any sport.

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 Cowart as the nation's best high school baseball player. A national advisory panel comprised of sport-specific experts and sports journalists helped select Cowart from more than 473,000 high school baseball players nationwide. Cowart is now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade Male High School Athlete of the Year award, to be presented at a special afternoon ceremony prior to The ESPY Awards in July.

The 6-foot-3 1/2, 195-pound senior right-handed pitcher and switch-hitting third baseman led the Hornets (31-5) to the Class 2A best-of-three state championship series this season, where they handed eventual champion Calhoun High (35-1) its only loss of the year before falling, two games to one. Cowart finished 10-1 on the mound along with a save, posting a 1.05 ERA and collecting 116 strikeouts in 73 innings. At the plate, he batted .654 with 11 home runs, 59 RBIs and 55 runs scored, concluding his senior campaign with a 1.206 slugging percentage, a.721 on-base percentage and 36 stolen bases in 36 attempts. His 2010 batting average ranks second all-time in state history among single-season totals.

A 2009 Aflac All-American, Cowart is a three-time First Team All-State selection and is rated the nation's No. 6 prospect in the Class of 2010 by Perfect Game USA and No. 13 by Baseball America.

Cowart graduated with a 94.5 GPA in the classroom. He has volunteered in association with the Cook High Anchor Club, participating in service projects to assist needy local families and children as well as blood-donation drives and a literacy-outreach initiative for elementary-age students. He has also donated his time on behalf of his Fellowship Baptist Church. A past member of the Cook High Student Leadership Team, which facilitates freshman assimilation on campus, Cowart has also served as an Adel-Cook Recreation Department youth sports volunteer.

"I think Cowart has the chance to become the next Chipper Jones," said Cook High Head Coach Bob Owsley. "He has all the skill and tools it takes to succeed at a very high level. He's without a doubt the best player I have ever coached."

Cowart has signed a National Letter of Intent to play baseball on scholarship at Florida State University this fall, but is projected as an early round selection in next week's Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.

"Without question, Kaleb is deserving of recognition as the nation's best high school baseball player based on his statistics on the field and the impact his accomplishments have had on Cook High School's success," said Gatorade Senior Vice President of Sports Marketing Jennifer Storms. "But he is also a shining example to peers and aspiring young players of what a leader and a student-athlete should be. He represents everything we hope for in a Gatorade Player of the Year recipient."

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 celebrate the award's 25th anniversary, Gatorade wants you to vote for the All-Time Greatest Baseball Player of the Year at www.gatorade.com/POY25. For more information on the Gatorade Player of the Year program, including nomination information, a complete list of former winners, and future announcement dates, visit the Gatorade Player of the Year Web site at http://playeroftheyear.gatorade.com/, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GatoradePOY or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Gatorade.


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First-Round Pairings Set for T-Mobile Invitational National High School Basketball Tournament

(BUSINESS WIRE)--The first-round pairings of boys and girls teams for the 2008 T-Mobile Invitational national high school basketball tournament have been announced by T-Mobile USA, Inc., and the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS).

The tournament will be broadcast live by CBS College Sports Network and will be played Dec. 29-30 at Worthen Arena on the campus of Ball State University. Play-by-play announcer Jason Knapp teams with analyst Steve Wolf to call the boys games and analyst Tammy Blackburn to call the girls games. In addition, CBS Sports will air a one-hour “T-Mobile Invitational 2008 Tournament Highlight Show” on Jan. 18, 2009 (1 p.m. EST).

MaxPreps.com, the official online partner of the T-Mobile Invitational, will offer replays of the full broadcast of all tournament games, available on demand 48 hours after the conclusion of each contest. Maxpreps.com will also provide video features on all the competing teams, as well as comprehensive highlight packages following each game.

The T-Mobile Invitational is the only basketball tournament sponsored by the NFHS, and the field is composed only of schools from NFHS-member associations. The NFHS’ 51 member associations oversee and administer athletic and fine arts activities within those states. Only high schools that are members of those state associations are allowed to compete for their respective state titles.

Leading off the Dec. 29 first-round girls games is a matchup between Gentry High School (Indianola, Miss.) and Bob Jones High School (Madison, Ala.). Gentry has won back-to-back Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 4A state titles, while Bob Jones High School claimed the 2008 Alabama Class 6A title with no seniors in its starting line-up. The second girls game pits two-time defending New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Group 1 champion University High School (Newark, N.J.) against Washington High School (South Bend, Ind.), which has earned an Indiana High School Athletic Association Class 4A state title and two runner-up finishes the past three years.

The first boys game features Duncanville (Duncanville, Texas) High School, which began the season ranked No. 1 in multiple national preseason rankings, against South Atlanta High School (Atlanta). The second boys game features Garfield High School (Seattle) against Lawrence North High School (Indianapolis).

The winning teams will advance to the girls and boys championships on Dec. 30, with the consolation games to be played earlier that day.

The boys field features some of the top individual players in the country. South Atlanta’s Derrick Favors is the top-ranked big man in the country, according to nearly every expert’s list. The 6-foot-9 power forward averaged 23.7 points, 17.1 rebounds and 9.1 blocks as a junior. This year’s tourney also features the top-rated sophomore in the nation in Garfield’s 6-5 point guard Tony Wroten Jr. In addition to these two standouts, the 2008 T-Mobile Invitational field features at least eight other players who have committed to attend Division I universities including Louisville, Texas, Oklahoma State and Purdue.

The girls bracket also features some of the top players in the country. Leading the way is Washington High School’s Skylar Diggins, the top-rated point guard in the nation and a 2007–08 Parade Magazine first-team All-American performer. University High School’s Laurin Mincy brings equally impressive credentials to this year’s event. She was the first girl in New Jersey history to earn first-team all-state honors as a freshman and was named New Jersey Player of the Year as a sophomore.

“Once again, we have an outstanding field for the T-Mobile Invitational,” said Robert F. Kanaby, NFHS executive director. “We’re very pleased that the country will be able to see not only some of the nation’s best basketball players, but some of the top all-around student-athletes as well.”

“It just seems to get better every year,” said Mike Belcher, vice president of brand communications,

T-Mobile USA. “We’re excited about the quality of the teams, the quality of the individuals involved and being able to showcase it all for the fans watching in person in Muncie and those watching live around the country on CBS College Sports Network.”

In addition to the two days of games, all coaches and players of the participating schools will join together for a T-Mobile Huddle UpSM community service project on Dec. 28 designed to improve various elements of the Boys & Girls Club of Muncie (located at 1710 S. Madison St. in Muncie). T-Mobile Huddle Up is T-Mobile USA’s community outreach program connecting kids, primarily from single-parent families, in high-need urban communities to positive people, places and programs. T-Mobile Huddle Up focuses on addressing the critical need for safe, high-quality after-school programs for kids nationwide.

Here is the complete schedule of games (game times are approximate and subject to change). Game times are Eastern Standard Time:

Monday, Dec. 29


Girls:

Noon Gentry (Indianola, Miss.) vs. Bob Jones (Madison, Ala.)
3:30 p.m. University (Newark, N.J.) vs. Washington (South Bend, Ind.)


Boys:

1:45 p.m. South Atlanta (Atlanta) vs. Duncanville (Duncanville, Texas)
5:15 p.m. Garfield (Seattle) vs. Lawrence North (Indianapolis)


Tuesday, Dec. 30


Girls:

Noon Consolation game
3:30 p.m. Championship game


Boys:

1:45 p.m. Consolation game
5:15 p.m. Championship game

For ticket information, go to www.t-mobileinvitational.com.

The partnership between T-Mobile USA and the NFHS, the national leadership organization for high school sports and fine arts activities, strives to encourage student participation in interscholastic activities and emphasizes the importance of these programs in preparing students for life. In addition to the basketball tournament, the multiyear agreement between the NFHS and T-Mobile includes T-Mobile’s sponsorship of the NFHS annual student leadership conference, plus other initiatives and events. T-Mobile is the Official Telecommunications Partner of the NFHS.

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Shorter Hawks Cross Country Repeats as SSAC Champions

It's hard to get better than first, but the Shorter College men's cross country team found a way on Saturday as they took the top spot in the Southern States Athletic Conference tournament at Stonebridge Golf Course with a perfect score of 15. The Hawks took all five of the top spots to advance to the National Tournament in two weeks.

"Getting a perfect score was our 'great' goal for today and it's awesome to see that realized," said head coach Jay Stephenson. "They have done everything I've asked of them and it's an exciting day for this team."

Shorter's Martin Hernandez took first place in the 8k race, with a time of 24:59.06, to repeat as the SSAC Runner of the Year. Jared Carson followed close behind in second with a 25:05.99, and in third was Josh Carson with a 25:45.09.

Cyrus Wakaba took fourth with a 25:47.15, and Steven Rich rounded out the top five with a 25:47.97.

All five of the above runners were also named to the SSAC All-Conference team.

"There is no doubt of the talent on this team and the drive they have to finish on top," added Stephenson. "We're looking forward to our next race in two weeks."

Stephenson also received honors of his own, as he was named the SSAC Coach of the Year, following the Hawks' first place finish.

Lee University finished in second with 51 points, with runners Will Jayroe and Chad Dean both being the 6th and 7th members of the All-Conference team. Berry College took third place with 61 points.

Other Shorter runners in the race were Ben Anthony (9th - 26:14.73), Brenton Widener (19th - 27:45.90), Therron Smith (21st - 28:01.70), Josh Giannoni (25th - 28:37.03), Allen O'Neal (29th - 29:27.08) and Alex Compton (32nd - 29:44.44)

The Hawks will now repeat their trip to the NAIA National Championship in two weeks as the SSAC Champion, held in Kenosha, Wis., at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.

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Alysse Meyer Named Division III Volleyball National Player of the Week

Emory University junior outside Alysse Meyer (Stockton, CA) has been named the Sports Imports/American Volleyball Coaches Association Division III National Player of the Week following her performance at the Emory Classic last weekend.

The 6-foot Meyer earned the prestigious honor after an MVP performance that saw her spark the Eagles to a championship effort with a 4-0 record. She played in all 15 of the team’s games over the four matches and came up with a team-leading 71 kills (4.73 kpg), hit 42.2 percent (71-11—142), doled out 10 service aces and averaged 1.73 digs per game.

In the Eagles’ opening match of the Classic against No. 18 Haverford, she pounded out a career-high 30 kills, tying the second-highest match total in school history, and hit a blistering 56.2 percent (30-3—48) while also registering nine digs and five aces in the four-game win. She followed that up with a 16-kill, nine-dig evening against Southwestern in a thrilling five-game, come-from-behind victory over Southwestern.

She continued her torrid pace on the final day, hitting 68.4 percent with 13 kills in 19 attempts with zero errors in the Eagles’ 3-0 decision over Mount Union before closing out the weekend with three aces, while registering a 57.9 attack percentage on the strength of 12 terminations in 19 attempts with one error in a sweep against Carleton.

Meyer’s selection represents the fifth time that an Emory player has earned the Sports Imports/AVCA Division III National Player of the Week Award. She joins Liana Roman (Oct. 14, 1996), Jennifer Naeger (Oct. 26, 1998), Lulu Sewell (Sept. 9, 2002) and Courtney Rose (Oct. 25, 2004) as Emory players to have been tabbed for the honor.

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