Copley’s Emma Stransky named Gatorade Ohio Girls Soccer Player of the Year
In its 38th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, Gatorade announced June 23 that Emma Stransky of Copley High School is the 2022-23 Gatorade Ohio Girls Soccer Player of the Year. Stransky is the first Gatorade Ohio Girls Soccer Player of the Year to be chosen from Copley High School.
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 Stransky as Ohio’s best high school girls soccer player.
Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Girls Soccer Player of the Year award to be announced in June, Stransky joins an elite alumni association of state award-winners in 12 sports, including Alyssa Thompson (2020-21, Harvard-Westlake School, Calif.), Mallory Swanson (2014-15, Mountain Vista High School, Colo.), Heather O’Reilly (2002-03 & 2001-02, East Brunswick High School, N.J.) and Abby Wambach (1997-98, Our Lady of Mercy School of Young Women, N.Y.).
The 5-foot-3 senior forward led the Indians to a 22-0-1 record and the Division II state championship during the fall season. Stransky scored 44 goals and passed for 20 assists, including the lone goal in Copley’s win over Waynesville High School in the state final.
The Ohio Scholastic Soccer Coaches Association’s Miss Soccer winner, Stransky netted 19 goals in Copley’s seven-game postseason run to the state title. An All-District selection as a freshman, she played exclusively with her club soccer team as a sophomore and junior.
Stransky has volunteered locally with NAMI Summit County, a mental health service center. She has also donated her time as a PGT (Personal Growth Thursdays) group leader and as a youth soccer coach.
“Emma is confident on the ball, makes intelligent movements on the field and can take over a game in an instant,” said Colin Curtis, head coach of Highland High School. “Good players take advantage of opportunities when they present themselves. Great players create those opportunities for themselves and their teammates. This would be an understatement for Emma.”
Stransky has maintained a weighted 4.42 GPA in the classroom. She has signed a national letter of intent to play soccer on scholarship at Bowling Green University 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 & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. The selection process is administered by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which leverages experts including coaches, scouts, media and others as sources to help evaluate and determine the state winners in each sport.
Stransky joins recent Gatorade Ohio Girls Soccer Players of the Year Peyton Kohls (2021-22, Mount Notre Dame High School), Taylor Huff (2020-21, Madison Comprehensive High School), Kailyn Dudukovich (2019-20, Lakota West High School) and Anna Podojil (2018-19, Indian Hill High School), among the state’s list of former award winners.
Being a Gatorade Player of the Year means paying it forward for the next generation. Through Gatorade’s Play it Forward initiative, every Player of the Year receives a grant to give to one of Gatorade’s social impact partners, supporting Gatorade’s ambition to fuel the future of sport. To date, Gatorade Player of the Year winners’ grants have totaled more than $3.5 million across more than 1,300 organizations.
For nearly 40 years, Gatorade has honored high school athletes at the top of their game as teammates, supporting their communities and achieving academic success. From CEOs and coaches to star athletes and community leaders, Gatorade Player of the Year winners showcase the power of sport.
To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, check out past winners or to nominate student-athletes, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com or follow Gatorade on social media on Facebook at facebook.com/GatoradePOY, Instagram at instagram.com/Gatorade and Twitter at twitter.com/Gatorade.