Tonea Marshall Named Gatorade Texas Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year


CHICAGO (June 23, 2016) -- In its 31st year of honoring the nation's best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with USA TODAY High School Sports, today announced Tonea Marshall of Seguin High School as its 2015-16 Gatorade Texas Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year. Marshall is the first Gatorade Texas Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year to be chosen from Seguin High School.

The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the track, distinguishes Marshall as Texas's best high school girls track & field athlete. Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year award to be announced in June, Marshall joins an elite alumni association of state award-winners in 12 sports, including Allyson Felix (2001-02, Los Angeles Baptist, Calif.), Derek Jeter (1991-92, Kalamazoo HS, Mich.), Candace Parker (2001-02, Naperville Central HS, Ill.), Abby Wambach (1997-98, Our Lady of Mercy, N.Y.), Mark Sanchez (2004-05, Mission Viejo HS, Calif.), Lolo Jones (1997-98, Roosevelt HS, Ia.) and Bianca Knight (2006-07, Ridgeland HS, Miss.).

The 5-foot-5 senior won the 100-meter high hurdles with a meet-record time of 13.30 seconds at the Class 5A state meet this past season, leading the Cougars to second place as a team. Marshall also ran on the winning 4x200 relay quartet and the second-place 4x100 squad. The reigning national champion and record-holder in the 60-meter indoor hurdles, she won the 100 hurdles at the Texas Relays with a time of 13.04, which ranked as the nation's No. 2 performance among prep competitors in 2016 at the time of her selection.

Marshall has maintained a 3.40 GPA in the classroom. She has volunteered locally with the Special Olympics in addition to serving the needy on behalf of Mission Arlington.

"Tonea has visualized her dream and she's beginning to develop an understanding and willingness to do what it will take to make it a reality," said Seguin coach Renwick Ridgeway. "It's been a pleasure watching her maturation as a student-athlete for the last six years."

Marshall has signed a National Letter of Intent to compete in track and field on scholarship at Louisiana State University this fall.

The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. The selection process is administered by the Gatorade high school sports leadership team in partnership with USA TODAY High School Sports, which work with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport.

Marshall joins recent Gatorade Texas Girls Track & Field Athletes of the Year Samantha Gonzalez (2014-15, Creekview High School), Desiree Freier (2013-14, Northwest High School), Alaysha Johnson (2012-13, Spring High School), Shelbi Vaughan (2011-12, Legacy High School), Jennifer Madu (2010-11, Plano East Senior High School), A'Lexus Brannon (2009-10, Ozen Magnet High Scool), Chelsey Sveinsson (2008-09, Greenhill School), Donique' Flemings (2007-08, Saginaw High Scool), and Erica Alexander (2006-07, Clear Brook High Scool) among the state's list of former award winners.

To keep up to date on the latest happenings, become a fan of Gatorade Player of the Year on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. For more on the Gatorade Player of the Year program, including nomination information, a complete list of past winners and the announcement of the Gatorade National Player of the Year, visit www.gatorade.com/poy.