Watford City High School Student-Athlete Named Gatorade North Dakota Girls Cross Country Player Of The Year

Chicago - In its 38th year of honoring the nation's best high school athletes, Gatorade announced Jaelyn Ogle, Watford City High School, is the 2022-23 Gatorade North Dakota Girls Cross Country Player of the Year. Ogle is the first Gatorade North Dakota Girls Cross Country Player of the Year to be chosen from Watford City 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 Ogle as North Dakota's best high school girls cross country player. Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Girls Cross Country Player of the Year award to be announced in January, Ogle joins an elite alumni association of state award-winners, including Natalie Cook (2021-22, Flower Mound High School, Flower Mound, TX), Katelyn Tuohy (2019-20, North Rockland High School, Thiels, NY), Megan Goethals (2009-10, Rochester High School, Rochester Hills, MI) and Jordan Hasay (2008-09, Mission College Preparatory Catholic High School, San Luis Obispo, CA).

The 5-foot-1 senior raced to the Class A individual state championship this past season with a time of 18:15.6. Ogle won eight races, including victories at the Williston Invitational, Mandan Kiwanis Invitational and Anderson/Stavn Meet. She also won the North Dakota/Minnesota/South Dakota/Canada Border Battle.

Ogle has volunteered locally as a coach with the Little Wolves Cross Country and Track and Field programs in addition to competing in basketball and track throughout her high school career. "Jaelyn Ogle enjoyed an impressive level of consistency this season, achieving six sub-19 performances over 5K," said Erik Boal, DyeStat.com editor. "What separated her from her peers in North Dakota was the ability to reach an even higher level on the biggest stages, as evidenced by her dominant performance at the Class A state final, an impressive response following her lone setback of the year at the Western Dakota Association Championship, where she was runner-up."

Ogle has maintained a 3.16 GPA in the classroom. She has signed a National Letter of Intent to run on scholarship at Mississippi State University this fall and will have the opportunity to run with her older sister, Hayley, in the Bulldogs' program.

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.

Ogle joins recent Gatorade North Dakota Girls Cross Country Players of the Year Eleni Lovgren (2021-22, Williston High School) and Meghan Ford (2020-21, 2019-20, & 2018-19, Jamestown 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.