Girls High School Volleyball Player
Mary Cushman Named Gatorade N.Y. POY
Mary Cushman, a part of Maryland’s 2010 volleyball freshmen class, was selected as the Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year of New York for the second consecutive time.
CHICAGO, Ill. – In its 25th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with ESPN RISE, named Mary Cushman of West Irondequoit High School as its 2009-10 Gatorade New York Volleyball Player of the Year. Cushman is the first Gatorade New York Volleyball Player of the Year to be chosen from West Irondequoit High School.
Cushman committed to Maryland this past year for a fall 2010 start.
The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the court, distinguishes Cushman as New York’s best high school volleyball player. Her selection qualified her as a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Volleyball Player of the Year award. Cushman joins an elite alumni association of past state volleyball award winners, including USA Volleyball Olympians Kim Glass (2001-02, Horseshoe HS, Penn.), Kim Willoughby (1998-99 &1999-00, Assumption HS, La.) and Ogonna Nnamani (1999-00, University HS, Ill.).
The state’s returning Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year, Cushman broke her own school record for kills with 351 this past season, leading the Eagles (34-2-1) to the sectional finals. A 2009-2010 Under Armour Second Team All-America selection, the 6-foot senior outside hitter also compiled 171 digs, 56 service aces and 52 blocks. Cushman is a three-time Monroe County Player of the Year and three-time Section V Class AA MVP, and holds school career records for kills, digs and service aces.
Cushman has maintained an A-average in the class room. She has volunteered at a local children’s hospital and has participated in fundraising campaigns to benefit breast cancer research and a community food bank.
“Mary Cushman is the best high school player that I have ever coached against,” said Shelly Collins, head coach of rival Victor High. “She is unstoppable. She plays great defense and is an amazing offensive player. Her jump serve alone can dismantle other teams. She was awesome last year and, if you can believe it, she improved this year.”
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 ESPN RISE and the Gatorade high school sports leadership team, which work with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran p rep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport.
Two-time winner Cushman joins recent Gatorade New York Volleyball Players of the Year Erin Little (2007-08, Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake) and Alyssa D'Errico (2006-07, Byron-Bergen Central) among the state’s list of former award winners.
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