In its 39th year of honoring the nation’s most elite high school athletes, Gatorade on Monday announced Emma Beck of Kenai Central High School is the 2023-24 Gatorade Alaska Volleyball Player of the Year. Beck is the first Gatorade Alaska Volleyball Player of the Year to be chosen from Kenai Central 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 Beck as Alaska’s best high school volleyball player. From CEOs and coaches to star athletes, Gatorade Player of the Year winners showcases 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 5-foot-11 senior outside hitter led the Kardinals to a 51-5 record and a 3A state championship this past season. Beck recorded 810 kills, averaging 5.9 per set, to go with 352 digs, 100 aces, 90 blocks, and 62 assists. She is a two-time state champion and was named the 3A state tournament Most Outstanding Hitter.
Kenai’s student body president, Beck has volunteered locally by fundraising to support cancer research in addition to serving as a middle school volleyball coach. “Her volleyball IQ is off the charts,” said Mountain City Christian Academy coach Serge Duchatellier. “Not only could she hammer the ball from the right side, but she was also acutely aware that she could tip it over the block just as easily. She caused havoc for my defenders and also played well on the back row.”
Beck has maintained a 4.0 GPA in the classroom. At the time of her selection, she remained undecided upon a collegiate destination.
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.
Beck joins recent Gatorade Alaska Volleyball Players of the Year Lauren Sulte (2022-23, Dimond High School), Hanna Henrie (2021-22, South Anchorage High School), Kadyn Osborne (2020-21, Dimond High School), and Hahni Johnson (2019-20, Dimond 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.