Dublin Scioto’s Alec Rothe named Gatorade Ohio Volleyball Player of the Year
In its 39th year of honoring the nation’s most elite high school athletes, Gatorade Monday announced Alec Rothe of Scioto High School in Dublin is the 2023-24 Gatorade Ohio Volleyball Player of the Year.
Rothe is the first Gatorade Ohio Volleyball Player of the Year to be chosen from Scioto High School.
The award, which celebrates the nation’s top high school athletes for excellence on the court, in the classroom and in the community, distinguishes Rothe as Ohio’s best high school volleyball player. From CEOs and coaches to star athletes, Gatorade Player of the Year winners showcase the power of sport, touting an all-star group of alumni that includes Harper Murray (2022-23, Skyline High School, Mich.), Kerri Walsh Jennings (1995-96, Archbishop Mitty High School, Calif.) and April Ross (1999-00, Newport Harbor High School, Calif.).
The 6-foot-3 senior middle blocker recorded 295 kills and 145 digs this past season, leading the Irish (27-1) to the Division I, Region 3 title game. Rothe also compiled 43 blocks and 35 service aces while posting a .501 kill
percentage and a .362 hitting percentage.
A member of the Under-21 Women’s National Team, she missed the first five matches of the season while participating in the U21 World Championships in Mexico for Team USA. She concluded her prep volleyball career with 1,311 kills.
A four-year member of the Dublin Scioto High Student Senate, Rothe has volunteered locally with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and she has donated her time as a youth volleyball coach and referee.
“Alec was an outstanding player this year,” said Ron Lehman, head coach of Big Walnut High School. “She elevated Scioto to an elite team. Scioto is our biggest rival, and we’ve been pretty equal until this year, but Alec was the difference. Whenever they needed a kill, they set her, and most of the time she delivered.”
Rothe has maintained a weighted 4.26 GPA in the classroom. She has signed a National Letter of Intent to play volleyball on scholarship at the University of Florida 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.
Rothe joins recent Gatorade Ohio Volleyball Players of the Year Eloise Brandewie (2022-23, Bishop Hartley High School), Kathryn Randorf (2021-22 & 2020-21, Gilmour Academy) and Emily Londot (2019-20, Utica High School), among the state’s list of former award winners.
As part of Gatorade’s commitment to breaking down barriers in sport, every Player of the Year also receives a grant to donate to a social impact partner. To date, Gatorade Player of the Year winners’ grants have totaled more than $4.9 million across more than 1,600 organizations.
To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, check out past winners or to nominate studentathletes, 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.