Hollywood, CA- In a highly celebratory event highlighting a year of excellence at the high school level, Andrew Wiggins and Morgan Andrews cemented their name in history by being named Gatorade National Athletes of the Year for 2013.

"Gatorade is a prestigious name and a prestigious logo, and every award I have received is a big reminder to push myself to be better,” said Women’s National Player of the Year Morgan Andrews.

Coming from all walks of life with hard work and persistent fortitude, 12 of the top high school sports athletes as voted by Prep Writers and Recruiters, assembled at the world-famous W Hotel on Hollywood Boulevard.

“These athletes are pushing themselves to be better, which is pushing myself to be better,” Andrews added. The gathering commemorated and recognized the academic and athletic accomplishments of extremely talented prep athletes.

This year marks the Gatorade POY 11th annual event,  with a lineage of stars among the nations most prestigious high school award. From the likes of Peyton Manning, Derek Jeter and Alyson Felix to the biggest faces in the league in LeBron James, Dwight Howard and Candace Parker; this award finds talented individuals.

In the class of 2013: MLB First-Year Draft pick, a future NBA First-Round Pick, a member of Team USA U20 Soccer and the fastest 100M runner in high school sports history were just some of the honored athletes in attendance. Here is the full list.

2012-13 Male Finalist

• ·      Football –  Max Browne (Sammamish, Wash. – Southern California)
• ·      Boys Cross Country – Edward Cheserek (Newark, N.J. – Oregon)
• ·      Boys Basketball – Andrew Wiggins (Huntington, W.V. –  Kansas)
• ·      Boys Soccer – Cristian Roldan (Pico Rivera, Calif. – Washington)
• ·      Baseball – Clint Frazier (Loganville, Ga. – Cleveland Indians Org.)
• ·      Boys Track & Field – Trayvon Bromell (St. Petersburg, Fla. – Baylor)

2012-13 Female Finalist

• ·      Volleyball – Lauren Carlini (West Aurora, Ill. – Wisconsin)
• ·      Girls Cross Country – Sarah Baxter (Simi Valley, Calif. – Senior/Semi Valley)
• ·      Girls Basketball – Mercedes Russell (Springfield, Ore. – Oregon)
• ·      Girls Soccer – Morgan Andrews (Milford, N.H. – Notre Dame)
• ·      Softball – Carley Hoover (Central, S.C. – Stanford)
• ·      Girls Track & Field – Kendell Williams (Marietta, Ga. – Georgia)

Pros Pitching In Their Guidance

The Gatorade National Player of the Year Honors have spanned over a decade of famous athletes. Each year, several athletes at the top of their game give back to the community by presenting Gatorade Player of the Year Honors to National Representatives in the 12 sports represented. 

During this years ceremony, Paul George (Indian Pacers), Abby Wambach (Team USA), Philip Rivers (San Diego Chargers), Bryshon Nellum (Olympic Track) and Olympic Gold Medalist Misty May-Treanor were on hand to lend guidance and congratulations to the next generation of top-tier athletes and leaders.

“It feels good to come back and be a part of this,” said Indiana Pacers guard Paul George. “It’s like taking the next step in my career, it’s an honor to give back,” said National Champion USC Track and Field star Bryshon Nellum

These athletes demonstrated high academic achievement and exemplary personal character, including volunteerism, sportsmanship and community leadership. For some, just being in the conversation with proven athletes made the award ceremony worth while.

“It was a dream to speak with my idol,” said Morgan Andres. Other athletes like Andrew Wiggins loved the opportunity to speak with awesome influences, “He (Paul George) was a very down-to-earth and cool dude,” Wiggins said.

The professional athletes themselves were excited to take part in such a historic event, and wanted only the best for the this years award winners. Even Misty May-Treanor, who had bigger things on her mind given her ever-growing pregnancy.

Morgan Andrews and Andrew Wiggins Take Center Stage

Andrew Wiggins - Basketball, Kansas

NBA scouts have called the 2014 NBA Draft one of the best in recent memory. Most of the reason why is due to the hype surrounding Kansas freshmen Andrew Wiggins. The Canadian-born star dominated the national scene in high school, joining a strong NBA lineage as the next Gatorade National Player of the Year.

“It's a lot to take in,” said Wiggins. “It's more after this event, being classified with LeBron, Dwight Howard and Kevin Love which makes it breathtaking and a true blessing from God."

Rated the nation’s No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2013 by ESPN, Scout.com and Rivals.com, Wiggins was also selected to play in the Jordan Brand Classic and the McDonald’s All-American Game. That being said, winning the award as a Canadian-born citizen was the most shocking development of the night.

"To me, I’m the biggest thing to come out of Canada right now," the exuberant star humbly mentioned about his difficult path to prep stardom. "I'm the only Canadian to ever get this award, and it means everything to me to receive this award on my path towards achieving bigger things in life.”

The Kansas freshmen, who checks in at 6-foot-8, 215 pounds, averaged 23.4 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.6 blocks and 2.5 assists per game this past season.

Just a brief note, Trojan fans. Your top recruit Roschon Prince, who was rated a three-star prospect by ESPN, was awarded Gatorade Player of the Year Honors in California for his performance with Long Beach Poly High School last season.

Morgan Andrews - Soccer, Notre Dame

Soccer standout Morgan Andrews took home some major hardware, and was surprised that she could win such a prestigious award in her given sport.

“This award means so much to me and means so much for my sport,” said the Women’s National Player of the Year. Andrews became the 9th athlete ever to win the nationally recognized award at least twice in a high school career.

The confident soccer star entered the award ceremony with a different mindset than most highly-distinguished peers. “It's an honor, but I didn't feel any pressure to win the award because I went in with no expectations," Andrews said.

A three-time Gatorade State Player of the Year, the 5-foot-9 Andrews led her Spartans to a 16-3-1 record and the Division II state title in New Hampshire. For Andrews, winning this award meant much more than just taking home the trophy.

“It shows that the women's game is growing in the United States. I just went to a game in Portland and 14,000 people where there,” the enthusiastic Andrews said.

After serving as captain of the U.S. Soccer Under-17 Women’s National Team throughout 2012, leading Team USA to the CONCACAF title last spring and an unbeaten record in group play at the 2012 FIFA U-17 World Cup last fall, Andrews concluded her prep career with 114 goals and 53 assists.

The Notre Dame bound freshmen put a refreshing taste on Tuesday nights festivities. "Being here in Hollywood with those athletes is an award itself,” said the Gatorade National Athlete of the Year.

Each athlete except for Simi Valley Senior Sarah Baxter, who returns to school next season, will take their talents to the next level looking to hopefully join award ceremony MC Stuart Scott on SportsCenter's top plays on a nightly basis.