Addison Halpern honored as 2024-25 Gatorade National Girls Soccer Player of the Year

CHICAGO — In its 40th year of honoring the nation’s most elite high school athletes, Gatorade announced Addison Halpern of Rutgers Preparatory School (NJ) is the 2024-25 Gatorade National Girls Soccer Player of the Year.

Gatorade Player of the Year is the top honor in high school sports, celebrating the nation’s best high school athletes for their success on the field, in the classroom and in the community. The award distinguishes Halpern as New Jersey’s best high school girls soccer player, and she joins an impressive group of alumni that spans CEOs, coaches and star athletes such as Morgan Gautrat (2010-11, Frederica Academy, Ga.), Mallory Swanson (2014-15, Mountain Vista High School, Colo.), Kennedy Fuller (2022-23 & 2021-22, Southlake Carroll High School, Texas).

The 5-foot-7 senior forward led the Argonauts to a 23-0 record and both the Prep B and Non-Public B state championships this past season. Halpern scored 44 goals and passed for 14 assists, setting up Rutgers Preparatory School’s 3-0 win over DePaul High School in the Non-Public B state final. Halpern missed the first six games of the season while participating in the FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup with the U.S. National Team. Also the 2024 United Soccer Coaches National Player of the Year, she is a two-time NJ.com State Player of the Year honoree.

(+READ: Gatorade Girls Soccer State Players of the Year announced for 2024-25)

Ranked as the nation’s No. 5 recruit in the Class of 2025 by TopDrawerSoccer.com, she concluded her prep soccer career with 180 goals—second in state history—and 68 assists.

Halpern has volunteered locally with Rise Against Hunger and as an elementary school mentor and tutor. She has also donated her time as a youth soccer coach and as part of multiple community service initiatives through her church.

“Addison was by far the best player we encountered this season, and I was especially impressed with her growth in the past year,” said Matt Roach, head coach of the Peddie School. “She was outstanding in fall 2023, but dominant in 2024. She has explosive speed and power, and she is highly motivated and competitive. Rutgers Prep had a great team overall, but you can see how their goal totals just exploded once she rejoined them in the middle of the season.”

Halpern maintained a 3.86 weighted GPA in the classroom. She has signed a written letter of athletic aid to play soccer at the University of Virginia this fall. She graduated from high school in December and began classes in Charlottesville this past spring semester.

The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states across 12 different high school sports – 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.

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 $5.6 million in grants to winners across more than 2,000 organizations.