Alexa Pino '25 Named Gatorade Player of the Year!

Official Gatorade Press Release:

CHICAGO (June 18, 2025): In its 40th year of honoring the nation’s most elite high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Alexa Pino of St. Joseph High School is the 2024-25 Gatorade Connecticut Girls Soccer Player of the Year.

Gatorade Player of the Year is the top honor in high school sports, celebrating the nation’s best high school athletes for their success on the field, in the classroom and in the community. The award distinguishes Pino as Connecticut's best high school girls soccer player, and she joins an impressive group of alumni that spans CEOs, coaches and star athletes such as Morgan Gautrat (2010-11, Frederica Academy, Ga.), Mallory Swanson (2014-15, Mountain Vista High School, Colo.), Kennedy Fuller (2022-23 & 2021-22, Southlake Carroll High School, Texas).

The 5-foot-5 senior forward led the Cadets to a 21-2 record and the Class LL state final this past season. Pino scored 25 goals and passed for 22 assists, netting a goal in the 80th minute to push the state title game to overtime. Pino scored or assisted in every game she played this past season. She graduated as the career leading scorer in the FCIAC and has the most career goals and points in school history. A two-time returning Gatorade Player of the Year, three-time state champion and a member of the U17 Philippines Women’s Youth National Team, she is a three-time United Soccer Coaches All-American selection.

Pino is in the process of creating an organization called “Goals for Goals,” which aims to collect and distribute clothing and food to people in need through drives and events related to soccer. She has also donated her time by holding free training sessions for youth players in her area. In addition, she organized and led her team in a Walk for Alzheimer’s fundraiser in honor of a local journalist’s mother. “Pino is the type of player who can change any game at the drop of a hat,” said Angelo Tsingerliotis, head coach of Brien McMahon High School. “One mistake by the defense, and she’ll make you pay. Also, I’ve never seen anyone who plays better set pieces, whether it’s a corner or free kick. She also makes those around her better with her playmaking vision and her leadership. As an opposing coach, I’ve seen great players who are arrogant and cocky, but Pino is neither. She’s someone who others can look up to and model their game after.”

Pino has maintained a 95.5 average in the classroom. She has signed a written letter of athletic aid to play soccer at the University of South Carolina this fall.

The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states across 12 different high school sports – 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 $5.6 million in grants to winners across more than 2,000 organizations.

To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, check out past winners or to nominate student athletes, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com or follow us on social media on Instagram at instagram.com/Gatorade, Facebook at facebook.com/GatoradePOY and X (Twitter) at x.com/Gatorade.