Maine West's Dugalic named Gatorade Player of the Year
In its 35th year of honoring the nation's best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company announced on Friday that Maine West senior Angela Dugalic is 2019-20 Gatorade Illinois Girls Basketball Player of the Year.
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 Dugalic as Illinois' best high school girls basketball player.
Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year award to be announced in March, Dugalic joins an elite alumni association of state award-winners in 12 sports, including Maya Moore (2005-06 Collins Hill High School, Ga.), Rashanda McCants (2004-05, Asheville High School, N.C.), Candace Parker (2001-02, Naperville Central High School), Diana Taurasi (1998-99 & 1999-00, Don Antonio Lugo High School, Calif.), Shyra Ely (1999-00, Ben Davis High School, Ind.), Katie Smith (1991-92, Logan High School, Ohio) and Lisa Leslie (1988-89, Morningside High School, Calif.).
Dugalic, a 6-foot 4 Oregon recruit and the 2019-20 Daily Herald All-Area Team Captain for the Northwest suburbs, averaged 20.6 points and 10.3 rebounds this past season, leading the Warriors (30-4) to the Class 4A supersectional.
She also contributed 2.7 assists, 2.7 steals and 1.7 blocks per game.
A McDonald's All-American Game selection, Dugalic was a second team all-state selection as a junior. She is ranked as the nation's No. 24 recruit in the Class of 2020 by ESPN.com.
An aspiring artist, Dugalic creates and designs logos, T-shirts and artwork for Maine West teams. She has volunteered locally with Feed My Starving Children and Operation Christmas Child. "Angela is so unbelievably hard to guard," said Schaumburg coach Jacqie Strauch. "She has only gotten stronger and better since last season."
Dugalic has maintained a weighted 3.40 GPA in the classroom. She has signed a national letter of intent to play at the University of Oregon this 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 and field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. From the 12 national winners, one male and one female athlete are each named Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year. In all, 607 athletes are honored each year.
Dugalic joins Gatorade Illinois Girls Basketball Players of the Year Brea Beal (2018-19, 2017-18 and 2016-17, Rock Island High School), Kiara Lewis (2015-16, Whitney Young), Haley Gorecki (2014-15, Fremd High School), and Tyra Buss (2013-14, Mt. Carmel High School) as athletes who have won the basketball award since its inception in 2007.
As a part of Gatorade's cause marketing platform "Play it Forward," Dugalic also has the opportunity to award a $1,000 grant to a local or national youth sports organization of her choosing. She is also eligible to submit an essay to win one of twelve $10,000 spotlight grants for the organization of choice, which will be announced throughout the year.
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.