Castellanos: Gatorade Player of the Year

The awards continue to roll in for Gadsden’s Nathalie Castellanos, who was announced as the New Mexico Gatorade Player of the Year. The award according to the ESPN Rise/Gatorade web site honors the best athletes in nation that show strong character off the court as well.

In its third decade of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in conjunction with ESPN RISE, today announced its 2010-11 State Volleyball Player of the Year award-winners, representing 49 states and the District of Columbia. The award recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the court.

Again, congrats to Nathalie for the recognition and for being a great representative for Gadsden and the surrounding community!

Courtesy  ESPN Rise

Nathalie Castellanos-OH, Gadsden High School (Anthony, N.M.)

Highlights: The 5-foot-10 junior outside hitter led the Panthers to a 23-1 record and the Class 5A state championship this past season. Castellanos recorded 610 kills, 209 digs, 77 blocks and 47 service aces while posting a kill percentage of .459. The 2010 Class 5A State Player of the Year, she recorded a career-high 36 kills in Gadsden’s 3-2 victory over Rio Rancho in the state semifinals and followed that with 27 kills and eight blocks in the title match win over Cleveland High. Castellanos has already recorded 1,367 kills in her three-year varsity career. Castellanos has maintained a 4.11 GPA in the classroom. She has volunteered locally as a peer tutor, a youth volleyball and basketball coach and as part of a fundraising campaign to benefit cancer research.