Cammie Murtha named Gatorade Maryland Girls Soccer Player of the Year

CHICAGO (Via Gatorade) — In its 32nd year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, today announced Cammie Murtha of Walter Johnson High School as its 2016-17 Gatorade Maryland Girls Soccer Player of the Year. Murtha is the second Gatorade Maryland Girls Soccer Player of the Year to be chosen from Walter Johnson 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 field, distinguishes Murtha as Maryland’s best high school girls soccer player. Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Girls Soccer Player of the Year award to be announced in June, Murtha joins an elite alumni association of past state soccer award-winners, including Alexi Lalas (1987-88, Cranbrook HS, Mich.), Steve Cherundolo (1996-97, Mt. Carmel HS, Calif.), Abby Wambach (1997-98, Our Lady of Mercy, N.Y.), Heather O’Reilly (2001-02, 2002-03, East Brunswick HS, N.J.), Matt Besler (2004-04, Blue Valley West HS, Kans.), Jack Harrison (2013-14, Berkshire HS, Mass.), Mallory Pugh (2014-15, Mountain Vista HS, Colo.).

The 5-foot-8 senior forward led the Wildcats to an 18-1 record and the Class 4A state championship this past season. Murtha scored 30 goals and passed for 24 assists, including a goal and two assists in Walter Johnson’s 3-2, overtime win over Perry Hall High in the state final. With seven goals and six assists, Murtha had a direct hand in 13 of her team’s 14 postseason goals. The Washington Post All-Met Player of the Year, she is a two-time First Team All-Met selection and concluded her prep soccer career with 81 goals and 52 assists.

Murtha has volunteered locally with an animal rescue organization, and she has donated her time to multiple community-service activities as part of both the Prince George’s County Police Community Service Division and the Bethesda Soccer Club. “Cammie was far and away the best player on the field this fall in Maryland,” said Rob Kurtz, head coach of Bethesda-Chevy Chase High. “She was outstanding. She led them in every way and showed her true qualities.”

Murtha has maintained a weighted 3.48 GPA in the classroom. She has signed a national letter of intent to play soccer on scholarship at the University of Wisconsin beginning 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 Player of the Year Selection Committee, 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.

Murtha joins recent Gatorade Maryland Girls Soccer Players of the Year Kia Rankin (2015-16, McDonogh School), Bridgette Andrzejewski (2014-15, McDonogh School), Imani Dorsey (2013-14, Our Lady of Good Counsel High School), Midge Purce (201213, Our Lady of Good Counsel High School), Ashley Spivey (2011-12, McDonogh School), Alex Doll (2010–11 & 2009-10, BethesdaChevy Chase High School), Caroline Miller (2008–09, Walter Johnson High School), and Christine Nairn (2007-08 & 2006-07, Archbishop Spalding High School), among the state’s list of former award winners.

As a Gatorade Player of the Year, Cammie will be able to select a national or local youth sports organization to receive a grant as part of the Gatorade Play It Forward program. Every Gatorade Player of the Year state winner receives a $1,000 grant to donate and will have the opportunity to enter for an additional $10,000 spotlight grant by writing a brief essay explaining why their selected organization deserves additional support. 12 spotlight grants – one for each sport – will be announced throughout the year.