Gatorade to crown ultimate prep sports winners in Hollywood

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Drum roll please. While you're at it, add pipes, panache and Stuart Scott pontification.

The 2012-13 Gatorade High School Athletes of the Year will be announced Tuesday at the coolest of joints, the W Hollywood Ballroom in hipster USA.

It's a fitting swank ending to honor the best and brightest prep stars from a school year filled with on- and off-the-field excellence.

Beyond stellar athletes, Gatorade also annually honors athletes with great character and academic prowess.

There are 12 finalists — six boys and six girls — who have each been selected national Players of the Year for their respective sports. One winner from each gender will be announced as overall Athletes of the Year by five former or current professional athletes who are tied closely to the Gatorade family and who will serve as presenters.

Those scheduled to present are soccer star Abby Wambach, volleyball Olympian Misty May-Treanor, NBA All-Star Paul George, track standout Bryshon Nellum and NFL quarterback Philip Rivers.

ESPN's Scott will host the event.

Last year's overall boys winner was Johnathan Gray, a record-breaking Texas running back from Aledo (Texas), who enters his sophomore season at the University of Texas.

"It's truly a blessing," Gray said after winning the award last July. "I feel totally blessed because all my family and friends have been behind me every step of the way to this point. … I look forward to taking this award back to college and using it as motivation to excel at the next level."

Last year's overall girls winner was Breanna Stewart, a high-scoring do-everything 6-foot-4 basketball forward from Cicero-North Syracuse (Cicero, N.Y.). She had a tremendous freshman season for Connecticut and her late-season charge led the Huskies to another national championship.

"I was very surprised," Stewart said last July after winning her Gatorade award. "Coming in here I wasn't expecting them to call my name. As I walked up to the stage I realized I had to come up with something to say."

The following are the national winners and nominees for the 2012-13 overall award. All will attend the ESPYs on Wednesday, also in Hollywood.

BOYS
Trayvon Bromell of Gibbs (St. Petersburg, Fla.) — track and field

The 5-foot-9, 157-pound senior ran the fastest 100-meter time in the nation's history regardless of wind, winning the Great Southwest Classic in a wind-aided time of 9.99 seconds. He also won his state Class 3A state title in 10.45 and anchored the state-winning 4x100 relay and placed second in the 200 in 20.91. He recorded the fastest wind-legal 100 time in the country this year at 10.27. He'll run at Baylor next season.

Max Browne of Skyline (Sammamish, Wash.) — football

The 6-5, 218-pound senior quarterback passed for 4,526 yards, 49 touchdowns and just five interceptions leading the Spartans to a 14-0 record and second straight state Class 4A title. Browne broke the state record for passing yards (12,953) and completions (882) and is headed to USC.

Edward Cheserek of St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.) — cross country

The Kenyan-born Cheserek became the fourth boy in the 34-year history of the Foot Locker National Cross-Country Championship to win that race twice. He's won eight national titles in his career and in 2012 finished undefeated in five races and broke two course records.

Clint Frazier of Loganville (Ga.) — baseball

The 6-foot, 180-pound senior center fielder hit .485 with 17 home runs, 56 runs and 45 RBI while leading the Red Devils to a 26-6 record. Frazier was the No. 5 pick overall of the major league draft and signed a contract with the Cleveland Indians, bypassing a scholarship from the University of Georgia. Frazier blasted 63 home runs in his prep career.

Cristian Roldan of El Rancho (Pico Rivera, Calif.) — soccer

The 5-7, 165-pound senior midfielder led the Dons to a 29-2-1 record and Southern Section Division III title by scoring 54 goals and adding 31 assists. He scored 94 goals and added 71 assists in his prep career, which included a team record of 78-6-3.

Andrew Wiggins of Huntington Prep (Huntington, W. Va.) — basketball

One of the sport's most recognizably athletes — and he hasn't even played a minute of college basketball — Wiggins averaged 23.4 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.6 blocks and 2.5 assists per game leading the Express to a 30-3 record. The 6-8, 215-pound senior forward is projected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2014 NBA draft after playing next season at the University of Kansas.

GIRLS
Morgan Andrews of Milford (N.H.) — soccer

A returning Gatorade National Soccer Player of the Year, the 5-9 senior forward led her Spartans to a Division II state title by scoring 31 goals and adding 18 assists. She scored both goals in the state finals. Andrews is the captain of the U.S. Soccer Under-17 Women's National team and members of the Under-20 and Under-23 National Team player pools. She had 114 goals and 53 assists in her prep career.

Sarah Baxter of Simi Valley (Calif.) — cross country

The 5-6 junior won her second straight Nike Cross Nationals championship with a time of 19 minutes, 17 seconds. She was unbeaten on the season and broke course records at four different meets, including the Mt. SAC Cross Country Invitational.

Lauren Carlini of Aurora West (Ill.) – volleyball

The senior setter and right-side hitter had 333 kills, 303 assists and 156 digs leading the Blackhawks to a 32-6 record. She also added 92 aces and 50 blocks. She was rated the No. 1 recruit in the nation by PrepVolleyball.com and will play in the fall at Wisconsin.

Carley Hoover of Daniel (Central, S.C.) — softball

The 6-2 senior right-hander led the Lions (24-4) to a Class 3A state title by posting a 16-4 record on the mound with a remarkable 338 strikeouts in 138 innings. She had a 0.15 ERA. She also batted .500 with four homers and 45 runs. She received a scholarship to Stanford.

Mercedes Russell of Springfield (Ore.) – basketball

A two-time Oregon Gatorade Player of the Year, the 6-6 senior center averaged 25.1 points, 12.3 rebounds, 5.5 blocks, 3.9 assists and 2.0 steals per game for the 24-4 Millers. She shot 70.3 percent from the field and had career numbers of 2.273 points, 1,642 rebounds and 562 blocks. She's headed to the University of Tennessee.

Kendell Williams of Kell (Marietta, Ga.) — track and field

The 5-9 senior won three Class 4A state titles while recording the nation's best 100-meter hurdles race in 13.23 seconds. She also won the high jump (5-8) and the long jump (20-9 3/4) and she set a national high school record in the pentathlon. She's headed to the University of Georgia.