Morillon is Girls Gatorade Soccer POY

In its 30th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with USA TODAY High School Sports, announced Abby Morillon of Cheyenne East High School as its 2014-15 Gatorade Wyoming Girls Soccer Player of the Year.

Morillon is the third Gatorade Wyoming Girls Soccer Player of the Year to be chosen from Cheyenne East High School and the 2nd in a row.

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 Morillon as Wyoming’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 May, Morillon joins an elite alumni association of past state award-winners in 12 sports, including Abby Wambach (1997-98, Our Lady of Mercy, N.Y.), Derek Jeter (1991-92, Kalamazoo HS, Mich.), Candace Parker (2001-02, Naperville Central HS, Ill.), Alexi Lalas (1987-88, Cranbrook HS, Mich.), Heather O’Reilly (2001-02, East Brunswick HS, N.J.) and Mark Sanchez (2004-05, Mission Viejo HS, Calif.).

The 5-foot-3 junior midfielder and forward had led the Thunderbirds to a 10-2-2 record at the time of her selection. Morillon scored 13 goals and passed for nine assists through 14 games.

A First Team All-State and All-Conference honoree as a sophomore, she has helped Cheyenne East to two consecutive Class 4A state titles.

Morillon has maintained a 3.40 GPA in the classroom.

A devoted parishioner in her church community and a member of the Key Club, she has volunteered locally on behalf of blood-donation drives and the Boys and Girls Club of Cheyenne.

“Morillon is very talented and her vision is outstanding,” said Carl Matson, head coach at Campbell County High. “She finds a way to be effective no matter how you defend her.”

Morillon will begin her senior year of high school this fall.

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 high school sports leadership team in partnership with USA TODAY High School Sports, 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.

Morillon joins recent Gatorade Wyoming Girls Soccer Players of the Year Rachel Erickson (2013-14 &; 2012-13, Cheyenne East High School), Marcia Ashdown (2011-12, Riverton High School), Sheree Small (2010–11, Campbell County High School), Makenzie Meade (2009-10, Laramie High School), Ariela Schreibeis (2008–09 & 2007-08, Laramie High School), and Crystal Umphlett (2006-07, Cody High School) among the state’s list of former award winners.