Jesuit's Abby Cox earns state's Gatorade Player of the Year award

Abby Cox was the best.

The 2024 Jesuit High School graduate was named the 2023-24 Gatorade Oregon Girls Soccer Player of the Year this past week, becoming the eighth Crusader to receive said honor.

The award, which celebrates the nation’s top high school athletes for excellence on the field, in the classroom and in the community, distinguishes Cox as Oregon’s best high school girls soccer player.

The 5-foot-3 senior midfielder and forward who helped lead Jesuit (16-1) to the 6A state quarterfinals this past season, scored 18 goals and tallied 17 assists this past season.

“We were a fairly decent team, especially defensively and we had no answer for Abby,” said Karl Granlund, head coach of Sherwood High School. “I spent the entire year telling people Abby Cox is the best player in Oregon. Even though Jesuit is so good at every position, it shouldn’t take away from Abby being the best player.”

Voted the 6A Player of the Year, Cox also earned Co-Metro League Player of the Year honors this past season and was a 2023 United Soccer Coaches Youth All-American selection based on play with her club team, the Portland Thorns. As a result, she participated in the High School All-American Game last fall.

Off the field, Cox maintained a 3.99 GPA in the classroom and has volunteered locally at a soccer camp for underserved children and as a peer tutor. She has also donated her time as part of multiple fundraising campaigns to benefit the Children’s Cancer Association.

Cox has signed a national letter of intent to attend and play soccer at Texas Christian University this coming 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 leverages experts including coaches, scouts, media and others as sources to help evaluate and determine the state winners in each sport.

As part of Gatorade’s commitment to breaking down barriers in sport, every Player of the Year also receives a grant to donate to a social impact partner. To date, the Gatorade Player of the Year program has provided more than $4.9 million in grants to winners across more than 1,900 organizations.