Loghan Hughes named Vermont's Gatorade girls track athlete of the year
BFA-St. Albans standout Loghan Hughes has been named Vermont's high school girls track and field athlete of the year, Gatorade announced Thursday.
Hughes, a senior, is the first athlete in program history to receive the award, which recognizes outstanding athletic excellence, high academic achievement and exemplary character.
The 5-foot-5 Hughes captured the 1,500-meter and 3,000-meter runs at the Division I state meet in early June. Her winning 1,500 time of 4 minutes, 35.55 seconds ranked 31st in the nation among prep competitors at the time of the Gatorade selection. Hughes also won the two mile (10:55.21) in the Rising Stars division at New Balance Nationals.
A two-time All-American lacrosse player, Hughes is a member of the Hope Happens Here Club, which spreads mental health awareness around the school and throughout the surrounding community. She has also volunteered locally at the Franklin County Humane Society and as part of multiple community service initiatives through her school’s Rotary International Interact Club, the news release stated.
"Loghan had an incredible season especially when you look at her improvement from last year," Mount Mansfield coach Bill Eschholz said in a statement. "Loghan would lead her races from start to finish. She went out, took control and controlled the tempo and pace of each race."
Hughes, who maintained a 3.90 GPA, signed a National Letter of Intent to compete on an athletic scholarship at the University of Connecticut this fall.
Through Gatorade's "Play it Forward" program, Hughes has the opportunity to award a $1,000 grant to a local or national youth sports organization of her choosing.
To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com.
Become a member of the Vermont Varsity Insider Facebook group at https://bit.ly/2MGSfvX.
Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter: @aabrami5.
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: BFA's Loghan Hughes earns Gatorade track and field award
