Estes, Nagai Earn Gatorade State Player of the Year Awards

For the fifth and sixth time in the last four years, a future Tiger has earned the honor as the Gatorade State Player of the Year for her state.

Part of the program's nine-member Class of 2024, Jen Estes (Washington) and Aria Nagai (Virginia) were among the state honorees for the 2019-20 season.

From Nagai's award announcement:

The 5-foot-3 senior defender and midfielder is a member of the Japanese Junior Women's National Team. Nagai was a First Team All-State selection and earned Second Team All-Met recognition from the Washington Post as a junior. Ranked as the nation's No. 106 recruit in the Class of 2020 by TopDrawerSoccer.com, she has also trained with the Professional Development Program team of the National Women's Soccer League's Washington Spirit franchise. The sports editor of her school newspaper, Nagai has volunteered locally as a peer tutor in English and math, and she has donated her time as a youth soccer coach. "Aria Nagai is an incredible player," said Devon Dowell, head coach of James Madison High School. "She has tremendous speed and versatility on the field in any position. She was a key player for Chantilly all her years there and one of the girls we always had to plan around."

From Estes' award announcement:

The 5-foot-7 senior midfielder led the Kangaroos to an 18-1-1 record and the Class 3A state championship this past season. Estes compiled 18 goals and 18 assists, including one of each in Lake Washington's 3-1 win over Bellevue High in the state title game. The KingCo Conference Offensive MVP, Estes is a two-time First Team All-Conference selection. Ranked as the nation's No. 29 recruit in the Class of 2020 by TopDrawerSoccer.com, she only played high school as a freshman and senior due to her commitment to the U.S. Soccer Development Academy. Estes has volunteered locally as a peer mentor and tutor, and she has donated her time as a youth soccer and basketball coach. "Jen Estes is a winner," said Peter Cochran, head coach of Bellevue High School. "She has a ferocious competitiveness combined with a pure striker's knack for scoring big goals. She has a selfless work rate to break down opposing defenders and a skillful generosity to set up her teammates."

It's the second straight year Princeton has had two Gatorade State Player of the Year honorees. Kamryn Loustau (Florida) and Marissa Hart (North Carolina) were recognized last year, while Amy Paternoster (New Jersey) earned the award two years ago and Eve Hewins (Massachusetts) did so three years ago. Hewins was the program's first such honoree since Marci Pasenello '10 (New York) and Vicki Anagnostopoulos '10 (Virginia) were recognized in 2006.

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