Indiana University Athletics
Nguyen Named Gatorade POY (03-08-05)
3/8/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
"I'd like to thank Gatorade because I was just amazed that I won with there being so many other good players that were also up for the award, and it was such an honor to hear my name called," said Nguyen. "Last year was a big step for me as a player and getting called in with the U-18s was great because I always wanted to play with the national teams. When I got called up to the U-20s last month it was an even bigger surprise, and I really enjoyed it as I got to play with some great guys and it really helped my game."
The award, which recognizes athletic achievement as well as the academic performance and overall character of its recipient, distinguishes Nguyen as the nation's best high school boys soccer player. The Gatorade National Advisory Board, a group of sportswriters and sport-specific experts from around the country, selected Nguyen from the nearly 350,000 male high school soccer players nationwide. Nguyen is now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year Award, to be presented at an awards ceremony the afternoon prior to The ESPY Awards in July.
A 5-8 senior midfielder/forward, Nguyen has recorded eight goals and six assists through six games with Plano East so far this season. As a junior he led the Panthers with 22 goals and 18 assists, giving him a total of 42 goals and 33 assists through his first two varsity seasons.
A member of the 2004 Parade All-American team, Nguyen is also a contributor to the U.S. U-18 and U-20 National Teams. In January, he competed with the U.S. U-18s at the Copa Chivas Tournament in Guadalajara, Mexico, and led the team with four goals. Two weeks ago, Nguyen scored the equalizer for the U.S. U-20s in their 1-1 exhibition draw versus the MLS' San Jose Earthquakes.
Nguyen's standard of excellence extends to the classroom, where he has achieved a 3.8 GPA. A member of the National Honor Society, Nguyen also works with handicapped children.
"I have been very fortunate to have coached some special athletes, but Lee is capable of changing a game as well as anyone I have ever coached," said Plano East Senior High head coach Rick Woodard. "Lee is a very competitive individual, and strives to excel in everything he does."
Nguyen becomes the third Hoosier to earn the Gatorade High School Player of the Year, joining former All-Americans Ned Grabavoy and Nick Garcia. Grabavoy currently plays for the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer, while Garcia is a U.S. National team pool player, who competes for the Kansas City Wizards of the MLS.
"Lee is a special player with very mature offensive thought processes," Indiana head coach Mike Freitag said. "He sees things that other players don't see. He is technically very good. He is one of those players that I would pay to watch. IU fans are going to be very excited to watch Lee play in the next several years."
The Gatorade High School Player of the Year program recognizes one winner in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia, and awards one National Player of the Year in football, baseball, softball, volleyball, and boys' and girls' basketball, soccer, and track & field. Previous national award winners include Emmitt Smith, Lisa Leslie, Peyton Manning, Alex Rodriguez and Kerri Walsh among others.
"The honor bestowed upon Lee is reflective of his demonstrated ability to play the game of soccer at the highest level; rising to the top of an extremely talented group of high school players across the nation," said Gatorade Senior Vice President of Sports Marketing Tom Fox. "For 20 years the Gatorade High School Player of the Year Award has recognized outstanding athletes who also shine in the classroom and in their communities, so it is the whole of Lee's accomplishments that have earned him a place among the best high school athletes of the past two decades."
Along with Nguyen being named the National Player of the Year, a pair of fellow Hoosier signees were named the Gatorade State Players of the Year. Brad Ring was named the player of the year in the state of Illinois, while Darren Yeagle earned the distinction in the state of Kentucky.
For more information on the Gatorade Player of the Year program, including nomination information and a list of upcoming announcement dates, or the names of previous winners, visit www.gatorade.com. Here is a list of past Gatorade High School Soccer Players of the Year:
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Past Gatorade National Boys Soccer Player of the Year Honorees
|
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| Year | Name |
High School/City
|
Status
|
| 2004 | Lee Nguyen |
Plano East Senior, Plano, TX
|
High School Senior
(will attend Indiana ) |
| 2003 | Patrick Phelan |
Wilbraham & Monson Acad., Wilbraham, MA
|
Wake Forest
|
| 2002 | Greg Dalby |
Poway, Poway, CA
|
Notre Dame
|
| 2001 | Jordan Harvey |
Capistrano Valley, Mission Viejo, CA
|
UCLA
|
| 2000 | Ned Grabavoy |
Lincoln Way, New Lenox, IL
|
Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS)
(attended Indiana) |
| 1999 | Alecko Eskandarian |
Bergen Catholic, Oradell, NJ
|
D.C. United (MLS)
|
| 1998 | Kyle Martino |
Staples, Westport, CT
|
Columbus Crew (MLS)
|
| 1997 | Nick Downing |
Eastlake, Redmond, WA
|
Maryland Graduate
|
| 1996 | Nick Garcia |
Bishop Lynch, Dallas, TX
|
Kansas City (MLS)
(attended Indiana) |
| 1995 | Andy Kirk |
Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI
|
Maryland Graduate
|
| 1994 | Pierre Venditti |
Jonathon Law, Milford, CT
|
Maryland Graduate
|
| 1993 | Andriy Shapowal |
Kenston High, Chagrin Falls, OH
|
Virginia Graduate
|
| 1992 | Mike Fisher |
Batavia, Batavia, IL
|
Virginia Graduate
|
| 1991 | Matt McKeon |
De Smet Jesuit, St. Louis, MO
|
Saint Louis Graduate
|
| 1990 | Claudio Reyna |
St. Benedict's Prep, Newark, NJ
|
Manchester City (EPL)
|
| 1989 | Todd Haskins |
Howard, Ellicott City, MD
|
North Carolina Graduate
|
| 1988 | Chris Henderson |
Cascade, Everett, WA
|
UCLA Graduate
|
| 1987 | Lyle Yorks |
E.O. Smith, Storrs, CT
|
Virginia Graduate
|
| 1986 | John Gwin |
Boise, Boise, ID
|
Duke Graduate
|
| 1985 | Kevin Hundelt |
Aquinas-Mercy, Hazelwood, MO
|
Southern Illinois Graduate
|
Information, Photo and Press Release Courtesy of Gatorade
