Alexa Pino '25 Named Gatorade POY!

We are so proud to share that SJ's rising junior, Alexa Pino, has been named the 2022-23 Gatorade Connecticut Girls Soccer Player of the Year! Alexa is the sixth Gatorade Connecticut Girls Soccer Player of the Year to be chosen from St. Joseph High School.

The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Alexa as Connecticut’s best high school girls soccer player. Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Girls Soccer Player of the Year award to be announced in June, she joins an elite alumni association of state award-winners in 12 sports, including Alyssa Thompson (2020-21, Harvard-Westlake School, Calif.), Mallory Swanson (2014-15, Mountain Vista High School, Colo.), Heather O’Reilly (2002-03 & 2001-02, East Brunswick High School, N.J.) and Abby Wambach (1997-98, Our Lady of Mercy School of Young Women, N.Y.).

The 5-foot-5 sophomore forward led the Cadets to a 21-1-1 record and the Class L state championship this past season. Alexa scored 32 goals and passed for 17 assists, setting up a pair of goals in St. Joseph High School’s 3-0 win over Notre Dame Catholic High School in the state final. A 2022 United Soccer Coaches All-American selection, Alexa is a two-time First Team All-State honoree. She concluded her sophomore year with 58 goals and 28 assists in her prep soccer career.

Alexa has volunteered locally as part of a fundraising campaign to benefit Al’s Angels, an organization that provides support for families and children in need. She has also donated her time on behalf of her school’s Unified Basketball program, which brings together athletes with and without intellectual challenges to train and compete on the same team.

“Alexa is technically a strong player and very good in front of goal,” said Rich Sutherland, head coach of Trumbull High School. She causes teams a lot of problems with her movement and her ability to link up with others and strike early at goal.”

Alexa has maintained a weighted A average in the classroom. 

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.

Alexa joins recent Gatorade Connecticut Girls Soccer Players of the Year Mary Lundregan (2021-22, St. Joseph High School), Maddie Fried (2020-21, St. Joseph High School), Chloe Landers (2019-20, Glastonbury High School), and Meadow Mancini (2018-19, Watertown High School), among the state’s list of former award winners. Being a Gatorade Player of the Year means paying it forward for the next generation. Through Gatorade’s Play it Forward initiative, every Player of the Year receives a grant to give to one of Gatorade’s social impact partners, supporting Gatorade’s ambition to fuel the future of sport. To date, Gatorade Player of the Year winners’ grants have totaled more than $3.5 million across more than 1,300 organizations.

For nearly 40 years, Gatorade has honored high school athletes at the top of their game as teammates, supporting their communities and achieving academic success. From CEOs and coaches to star athletes and community leaders, Gatorade Player of the Year winners showcase the power of sport.

To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, check out past winners or to nominate studentathletes, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com.