Small of Gillette is WY Gatorade POY In Girls Soccer

In its 26th year of honoring the nation's best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with ESPN RISE, announced Sheree Small of Campbell County High School, as its 2010-11 Gatorade Wyoming Girls Soccer Player of the Year.  Small is the second Gatorade Wyoming Girls Soccer Player of the Year to be chosen from Campbell County 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 Small 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, Small 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-5 senior forward has led the Camels (12-2) to the top seed in the regional playoffs, scheduled for May 13. Small scored 13 goals and passed for six assists through 14 games. A two-time First Team All-State selection, she has also been named to the All-Eastern Wyoming Conference team four times.

Small has maintained a 3.72 GPA in the classroom. A devoted member of her church community, she has volunteered as an assistant in a local fifth-grade classroom.

"Small is the engine of that team," said Jerry Realing, head coach of rival Kelly Walsh High. "She does a spectacular job of seeing space and putting the ball where it has to go."

Small has signed a National Letter of Intent to play soccer on scholarship at the University of Wyoming 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 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.

Small joins recent Gatorade Wyoming Girls Soccer Players of the Year Makenzie Meade, (2009-10, Laramie) and two-time winner Ariela Schreibeis (2007-08 & 2008-09, Laramie) among the state's list of former award winners.

To keep up to date on the latest happenings, become a fan of Gatorade Player of the Year on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. For more on the Gatorade Player of the Year program, including nomination information, a complete list of past winners, and the announcement of the Gatorade National Player of the Year, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com.