For the second straight year, Mercer Island High School (MIHS) powerhouse runner Sophia Rodriguez has notched the Gatorade Washington Girls Cross Country Player of the Year honor.
Last year, Rodriguez was the first MIHS recipient of the Gatorade Washington girls cross country accolade — and she just keeps rolling. The junior student-athlete also ran away with the Gatorade Washington Girls Track and Field Player of the Year award last June.
Gatorade announced the recent news during the start of its 41st year of lauding the nation’s top high school athletes for not only their success in sports, but in the academics and community spheres as well.
In the running world, Rodriguez won her third consecutive 3A state cross country individual crown on Nov. 8, 2025, at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco with a time of 17:24.00 — 27 seconds ahead of second-placer Cassidy Armstrong of Ballard. Following Rodriguez’s lead, the Islanders won their second straight state team title.
On Sept. 20 of last year, Rodriguez cranked out the fastest 5,000-meter girls cross country time in the nation with a personal record of 16:10 at the Mook XC Invite at Alderbrook Golf Course near Tillamook, Oregon. On that epic day, she also set the course record and broke the Washington state record. Also in September while competing at the U20 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Spain, she grabbed the top American finish in 14th place.
MIHS head cross country coach Susan Empey is thrilled with Rodriguez’s success for the Islanders and team USA.
“What Sophia has accomplished in her 2-1/2 years at Mercer Island is astounding. Gatorade clearly recognized the difficulty of winning three consecutive state XC championships plus representing the US at the U20 World Mountain Championships this fall. None of this would happen if she didn’t have the work ethic and dedication to this sport that she does. She inspires both the boys and girls teams and we are all awfully proud of her,” Empey said.
Rodriguez, who carries a 3.56 grade-point average, has organized shoe and apparel donation drives for girls in need as a member of the MIHS Latinx Club and has spent time speaking to Island youth running clubs.
“Undertaking a grueling schedule that included international success across the pond, Sophia Rodriguez fashioned an excellent junior campaign,” said Rich Gonzalez of PrepCalTrack in a press release while pointing to her aforementioned accomplishments. “Few Washington runners have enjoyed as much success in a single season.”
Back in November, Rodriguez described to the Reporter how it felt to win state individually while helping the team net a title: “I would say the key to winning states was my mentality the week leading up to the race and trusting all the hard works that I had put in weeks and weeks before the race. My race was solid. I executed the plan well but learned a lot. I wanted to get the lowest stick for the team for us to have the best chance at winning, so I was very happy with my race.”
Also on the community front, each Gatorade Player of the Year receives a grant to donate to a social impact partner. “To date, the Gatorade Player of the Year program has provided more than $6.4 million in grants to winners across more than 2,200 organizations,” reads a press release.
