IHSA

Gatorade Player of the Year

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Paul Jackiewicz (312-932-2812)

Naperville North High School STANDOUT NAMED
GATORADE STATE BOYS SOCCER PLAYER OF THE YEAR

CHICAGO (February 17, 2006) — Entering its third decade of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, Gatorade® Thirst Quencher today announced Jake Fullerton of Naperville North High School in Naperville as its 2005-06 Illinois Boys Soccer Player of the Year.

Gatorade, in partnership with Scholastic Coach & Athletic Director magazine, named State Boys Soccer Player of the Year award winners representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Fullerton, along with his fellow State Players of the Year, is now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Boys Soccer Player of the Year award to be announced in late February.

After playing as a defender as a freshman and sophomore, and as a midfielder as a junior, Fullerton moved to forward and was nearly unstoppable as a senior. He scored 30 goals and recorded eight assists in 26 games, and scored in 10 straight contests – the 13th longest consecutive-game-scoring streak in state history. A three-time All-Conference and two-time All-State selection, he was named to the 2005 NSCAA All-America team, the All-State team, and to the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times All-Star teams.

A solid performer in the classroom, Fullerton boasts a 3.1 GPA. He will attend Michigan State University this fall.

“Jake has been one of the most dominating players in Illinois over the past four years,” says Naperville Head Coach Jim Konrad. “What makes him so special is that he has excelled at each position (defender, midfielder, and forward) during his high school career.”

The Gatorade Player of the Year program recognizes one winner in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia in football and baseball (boys), volleyball and softball (girls), as well as soccer, basketball, and track & field (boys and girls). Each state winner, selected by a panel of sport-specific experts in conjunction with a national media advisory board, is chosen based on his or her outstanding accomplishments on and off the field of play. In addition to athletic performance, award criteria include the achievement in the classroom and overall character.

Fullerton joins recent Illinois Boys Soccer Players of the Year Bradley Ring (2004-05, Rockford Guilford HS), Charlie Sales (2003-04, Sacred Heart-Griffin HS), and Jed Zayner (2002-03, Carl Sanburg HS) among the state’s list of former award winners.

For more on the Gatorade Player of the Year program, including nomination information, a list of past winners, and the announcement of the Gatorade National Player of the Year, visit www.gatorade.com/playeroftheyear.