CHICAGO (June 4, 2015) — In its 30th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with USA TODAY High School Sports, today announced Kelsey Oh of Mount Saint Dominic Academy as its 2014-15 Gatorade New Jersey Softball Player of the Year. Oh is the first Gatorade New Jersey Softball Player of the Year to be chosen from Mount Saint Dominic Academy.

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 Oh as New Jersey’s best high school softball player. Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year award announced in June, Oh joins an elite alumni association of past state award-winners in 12 sports, including Alicia Hollowell (2000-01, Fairfield HS, Calif.), Derek Jeter (1991-92, Kalamazoo HS, Mich.), Candace Parker (2001-02, Naperville Central HS, Ill.), Abby Wambach (1997-98, Our Lady of Mercy, N.Y.), Mark Sanchez (2004-05, Mission Viejo HS, Calif.), Angela Tincher (2002-03, James River HS, Va.) and Kenzie Fowler (2006-07,
Canyon del Oro HS, Ariz.).

The 6-foot-1 sophomore right-handed pitcher posted a 26-2 record with one save, a 0.25 ERA and 310 strikeouts in 170 innings
pitched this past season, leading the Lions (29-2) to the Non-Public A, North semifinals. A returning Second Team All-State selection as
named by The Star-Ledger, Oh batted .474 with three home runs, 10 runs scored and 26 RBI, recording a .561 on-base percentage
and .632 slugging percentage. She led Mount Saint Dominic to the 2014 Non-Public A state championship as a freshman.

Oh has maintained a B average in the classroom. An accomplished clarinetist and a member of her school’s art club, she has donated her time locally with special needs children, as a youth softball instructor and by making food with her grandmother for a food pantry.

“Kelsey Oh was unbelievable,” said Tony Peterson, head coach of Bear (Del.) Caravel Academy. “Man, that kid’s the real deal. Her stature is so intimidating. Her rise-ball is deceivingly fast. She has that motion that doesn’t look like much until she’s three-quarters of the way around, and she brings it. She’s tough. What’s she—a sophomore? Unfortunately, we’ll be facing her for a couple more years.”

Oh has verbally committed to play softball on scholarship at Boston College beginning in the fall of 2017.

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 high school sports leadership team in partnership with USA TODAY High School Sports, which work with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport.

Oh joins recent Gatorade New Jersey Softball Players of the Year Steph Thomas (2013-14, Immaculate Heart Academy), Allyson Frei (2012-13, High Point Regional High School), Kelsey Dominik (2011-12, Kingsway Regional High School), Emily Bausher (2010-11, New Egypt High School), Lauren Gaskill (2009-10, Rancocas Valley Regional High School), Brittany O’Donnell (2008-09 & 2007-08, Red Bank Catholic High School), and Lyndsey PeQueen (2006–07, Toms River East High School) among the state’s list of former award winners.