Girls' Soccer | 6/18/2026 6:36:00 PM
Mt. Pleasant, SC – In its 41st year celebrating the nation's best high school athletes, Gatorade today announced
Ella Petry of Oceanside Collegiate Academy as the 2025-26 Gatorade South Carolina Girls Soccer Player of the Year.
Petry is the first OCA student-athlete from any sport to earn the Gatorade Player of the Year honor.
Gatorade Player of the Year is the top honor in high school sports, celebrating the nation's best high school athletes for their excellence in sport, academics and community.
The award recognizes Petry as South Carolina's best high school girls soccer player, and she joins an elite legacy that spans professional athletes and coaches to CEOs, such as Mallory Swanson (2014-15, Mountain Vista High School, Colorado), Riley Jackson (2021-22, Blessed Trinity Catholic High School, Georgia) and Addison Halpern (2024-25, Rutgers Preparatory School, New Jersey).
"Looking back, I'm filled with gratitude," Petry said. "Oceanside has prepared me for so much more than soccer. I'm incredibly grateful for the coaches, teammates, teachers, and community who have supported me along the way. I'm proud of all we accomplished together and excited to carry those memories and values with me to the University of Maryland."
The 5-foot-5 senior midfielder led the Landsharks to a 17-2 record and the Class AAA state championship this past season. Petry scored 27 goals and passed for 21 assists, including a goal in Oceanside's 4-0 win over St. Joseph's Catholic School in the state final. A two-time Class AAA Player of the Year, she's ranked as the nation's No. 147 recruit in her class by TopDrawerSoccer.com.
The Landsharks captured their sixth consecutive SCHSL state title this past spring.
"I've been coaching for 34-plus years and have coached many future Power 4 and professional players," OCA Director of Athletics and Head Girls' Soccer Coach Mark Meyer, said. "Ella is the class of that group, not only as a player, but as a student, a leader and a human being!"
A member of Oceanside Collegiate's student government program, Petry has volunteered locally as both a peer tutor and writing lab consultant. She has also donated her time with Lowcountry Orphan Relief and as a youth soccer coach.
"Ella was outstanding this year," Frank Torcasio, head coach of rival Lucy Beckham High School, said. "She has a unique ability to elevate the play of everyone around her and consistently make her teammates better."
Petry has maintained an A average in the classroom. She has signed a written letter of athletic aid to play soccer at the University of Maryland this fall.
The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one state winner from each of the 50 states and Washington D.C., in 12 different sports: football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, baseball, softball, boys and girls soccer, and boys and girls track & field. In total, 610 high school athletes are honored each year.
From the pool of state winners, one national winner is selected in each of the 12 sports. 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 winners in each sport.
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, the Gatorade Player of the Year program has provided more than $6.4 million in grants to winners across more than 2,200 organizations.
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 us on social media on Instagram at instagram.com/Gatorade, Facebook at facebook.com/GatoradePOY and X (Twitter) at x.com/Gatorade.
About Oceanside Collegiate Academy: Oceanside Collegiate Academy (OCA), located in Mt. Pleasant, S.C., serves high school students in a safe, small and family-centered setting. Our students seek the opportunity and challenge of rigorous curriculum, high academic standards and elite athletics while earning up to two years of college credit. OCA serves students in grades 9-12 using an honors curriculum in 9th and 10 grades with a dual enrollment curriculum in 11th and 12th grades
Learn more about OCA by visiting our website at OceansideCollegiate.Academy and by following us on social media on Facebook, Instagram and X. For video content, visit our YouTube channel.
