The Gatorade Player of the Year Program is the most prestigious award in high school sports, celebrating the winners as the best in the country for their excellence in sports, school, and community service. Every year, the program's selection committee picks one state winner from all 50 states and Washington D.C., across 12 sports, including football, volleyball, cross country, basketball, baseball, softball, soccer, and track & field. From that pool, Gatorade selects one national winner for each sport. This year, the first six Gatorade Player of the Year winners are Jackson Cantwell (Football), Sophee Peterson (Volleyball), Natasza Dudek (Girls Cross Country), Jackson Spencer (Boys Cross Country), Olivia Vukosa (Girls Basketball), and Jordan Smith Jr. (Boys Basketball).
Outside of the actual trophy, Gatorade offers every national Player of the Year winner lasting support and opportunities. This year, for the first time ever, all national Player of the Year winners will get a chance to work with scientists from the Gatorade Sports Science Institute to create personalized hydration and fueling plans to elevate their performances. All of the winners will also get a grant to donate to charity, adding to a program that has already given over $6.4 million to more than 2,200 organizations so far.
Scroll through to learn more about the 2025-26 Gatorade National Player of the Year winners.
Jackson Cantwell, Football, Nixa High School, Nixa, Missouri
Jackson Cantwell, a 6'8", 305-pound offensive tackle at Nixa High School in Missouri, has been named the 2025–26 Gatorade National Football Player of the Year, beating out the one million other players in the country and making him the the first offensive lineman to ever win the award. As a high school junior, Cantwell recorded 158 pancake blocks, helping Nixa finish second in the Missouri Class 6 Football championship. Ranked the no. 1 overall class of 2026 football prospect in the country by a number of metrics, Cantwell committed to attend the University of Miami over a host of other top programs clamoring for his skills.
“This is one of my biggest goals I've had in my career, and it means so much to get this done you know for my community,” Cantell said. “I could not be more grateful man”
The future Miami Hurricane is in good company, with past Gatorade National Football Players of the Year including Peyton Manning and Nick Singleton.
Sophee Peterson, Volleyball, Byron Nelson High School, Trophy Club, Texas
Almost half a million young women play high school volleyball in the United States, and Sophee Peterson of Byron Nelson High School surpassed them all to become the 2025–26 Gatorade National Volleyball Player of the Year. A junior, she is just the second non-senior to ever earn the honor. Peterson anchors her team's offense, racking up 1,459 assists, 274 digs, and 161 kills, all while averaging 13.9 assists per set. That dominance helped lead Byron Nelson to an impeccable 42-0 record and back-to-back UIL Class 6A state and national championships. She's also a star in the classroom with a 4.64 weighted GPA. When she graduates high school, she'll continue her studies and volleyball career at Texas A&M.
“Winning Gatorade National Volleyball Player of the Year has been a super surreal feeling because I've watched so many girls go through it,” Peterson explained. “It's such an incredible feeling and I'm extremely grateful.”
With this award, she joins past Gatorade National Volleyball Players of the Year, including April Ross, Kerri Walsh Jennings and Campbell Flynn.
Natasza Dudek, Girls Cross Country, Pioneer High School, Ann Arbor, Michigan
The 2025–26 Gatorade National Girls Cross Country Player of the Year is also a national champion with an undefeated season under her belt. Natasza Dudek, a sophomore, won both the 2025 Brooks XC Championship and the Nike Cross Nationals, while completing a 13-0 record in races during that season. She is the first high school girl to win both of those races in the same season. Her perfect record also garnered her the Michigan Division 1 state championship with a time of 16:09.5, shaving off an eye-popping 23 seconds from the previous course record.
“To be named Gatorade Player of the Year is a huge honor. The recognition among all of the girls in cross country is extremely exciting and delighting but also a little overwhelming with the prestige that the award holds,” Dudek said.
Like the other 2025-26 Gatorade Player of the Year winners, Dudek is now among the elite. Past Gatorade National Girls Cross Country Players of the Year include Jordan Hasay, the record-holder for the fastest-ever debut marathon by an American woman, and Katelyn Tuohy, the most decorated Gatorade Player of the Year ever.
Jackson Spencer, Boys Cross Country, Herriman High School, Herriman, Utah
There are many contenders in the race to the top. Case in point, just under 300,000 boys run cross country in the United States. Jackson Spencer, a senior at Herriman High in Utah, outpaced them all to run home with the honor of being named the 2025–26 Gatorade National Boys Cross Country Player of the Year. Like his counterpart Dudek, Spencer won both the Nike Cross Nationals and the Brooks XC Championships, the first boys runner to do that since Lukas Verzbicas in 2010. He also posted an undefeated record during the 2025-26 cross country season, culminating in a Utah 6A state championship win, running the 5,000-meter course in 14:29.78 and finishing almost 48 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher. After high school, Spencer plans to undertake a two-year LDS mission, after which he'll run and study at BYU.
“Thank you so much Gatorade for giving me this award, it means a ton to me,” Spencer said. “I'm really excited to be able to take this momentum and bring it forward into the rest of my running career.”
Receiving this accolade places Spencer in good stead, with notable previous Gatorade National Boys Cross Country Players including Lukas Verzbicas, the U.S. high school national record holder in the 2 mile and 17-time NCAA champion Edward Cheserek.
Olivia Vukosa, Girls Basketball, Christ the King Regional High School, Queens, New York
Just over 350,000 girls play high school basketball in the United States and Olivia Vukosa, a 6'5" senior from Queens, bested them all to be named the 2025–26 Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year. Vukosa plays for the legendary girls basketball team at Christ the King High School, which also produced superstar Sue Bird, and has already made her Croatian National Team debut too. This season, she averaged 17.8 points, 18.1 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 4.4 blocks per game, while carrying a 99.4 grade average in her classes. Next year, Vukosa will play college basketball and study at the University of Connecticut in Storrs.
"To be named the Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the year is an honor," Vukosa said. "I get to be a part of a legacy with so many other amazing players. My name is solidified forever."
If history is any indication, Vukosa's basketball future is bright, as she joins previous standout Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year winners like Paige Bueckers, Sabrina Ionescu, and Breanna Stewart.
Jordan Smith Jr., Boys Basketball, Paul VI Catholic High School, Chantilly, Virginia
Boys basketball is one of the most widely played sports in the country, with around 530,000 participants. Among that huge group, Jordan Smith Jr., a 6' 2" combo guard from Paul VI Catholic High School in Fairfax, Virginia, is the best of the best. Not only was he named the 2025–26 Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year, he also led his Panthers team to a 34-2 record and a fourth consecutive VISAA state championship, while averaging 26.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 3.2 steals per game. This fall, he'll take his talents to the University of Arkansas, where he'll play for legendary coach, John Calipari.
"I was looking at the trophy, and for me to win Gatorade National Player of the Year, it's a lot of great names on that list," Smith Jr. said. "So just for my name to be on that trophy forever, was just an honor and I couldn't ask for a better way to end my senior year."
With the award, Smith Jr. ranks among the best high school players of all time, with legendary past Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year winners including LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Karl-Anthony Towns.
