Taucher named Wyoming’s 2020-2021 Gatorade Player of the Year

 

Tyler Johnson, [email protected]

ROCK SPRINGS, WYOMING (June 15, 2021) – Accolades and achievements continue pour in following the Rock Springs High School Lady Tigers’ run to the Class 4A Girls Soccer State Title.

 

On Tuesday, Rock Springs forward and midfielder Emily Taucher was named the 2020-21 Gatorade Wyoming Girls Soccer Player of the Year. It’s just the second player to win the award in the history of the high school. Alyssa Bedard won the award in 2019-20.

“I was not expecting it. I’m kind of speechless about it actually,” Taucher said shortly after finding out she was named Gatorade Player of the Year.

The award is designed to recognized student-athletes who performed admirably athletically but also demonstrated a high standard of academic achievement.

Taucher scored 14 goals and assisted on 17 more for the Lady Tigers during her junior season. She was a First Team All-State honoree and has been selected to the West All-Conference team twice. She also has maintained a 3.91 GPA over the course of high school.

She’s a key player on the Rock Springs volleyball team as well, helping lead the Lady Tigers to a regional championship and state tournament appearance in 2020.

“It’s been really cool year. From winning regionals in volleyball this year to winning state in soccer, it was unbelievable. And now, with winning Gatorade Player of the Year, it’s just so exciting,” Taucher said.

 

Taucher has many people to thank for their continuous support over the years – especially her teammates and coaches.

“My teammates are always there for me when I need them and the coaches I’ve had have been so influential,” she said.

Through Gatorade’s cause marketing platform “Play it Forward,” Taucher has the opportunity to award a $1,000 grant to a local or national youth sports organization of their choosing. Taucher is also eligible to submit a 30-second video explaining why the organization they chose is deserving of one of twelve $10,000 spotlight grants, which will be announced throughout the year. To date, Gatorade Player of the Year winners’ grants have totaled more than $2.7 million across 1,117 organizations.

Since the program’s inception in 1985, Gatorade Player of the Year award recipients have won hundreds of professional and college championships, and many have also turned into pillars in their communities, becoming coaches, business owners and educators.