Park View's Baird Named Girls Track Gatorade Athlete of the Year

Track & Field Sponsored by Potomac River Running

By Dan Sousa:

Sterling (June 18, 2008) – Park View High School senior Natalie Baird has been named the 2007-08 girls track and field Gatorade Athlete of the Year for Virginia according to RiseMag.com.

Baird, who will compete in three events at the Nike Nationals this weekend, earned seven AA state titles in the discus and shot put and led the Patriots to back-to-back team state titles. She joins Broad Run pitcher Catilyn Delahaba as a Gatorade Player of the Year for 2007-08.

This is the fifth straight year that Loudoun has had at least one Gatorade Player of the Year and nine local athletes have taken home the award since 2001: Christy Anch (softball, 01-02), Adam McDaniel (boys soccer, 03-04), Blair Brown (volleyball, 04-05), Ed Wang (football, o4-05), Brown (volleyball, 05-06), Uche Onyeador (boys soccer, 06-07), Delahaba (softball, 06-07), Delahaba (softball, 07-08) and Baird (track, 07-8).

From 1985 to 2000, Loudoun only had one Gatorade Player of the Year: Scott Schultz (baseball, 90-91).