Runner From Somers Earns State Gatorade Player Of The Year Honors

SOMERS, CT — A banner year which included victories in the State Open, Class S championships and three large invitational meets, plus a second-place finish in the New England Championships, earned Somers High School cross country standout Rachel St. Germain the honor of being named the 2021-22 Gatorade Connecticut Girls Cross Country Player of the Year. She is the first female runner from Somers to win the award in its 37-year history.

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 St. Germain as Connecticut’s best high school girls cross country athlete. She is now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Girls Cross Country Player of the Year award, to be announced in February.

After winning the Wickham Park Invitational, the Stratton Brook Invitational and the Winding Trails Invitational during the regular season, the senior outclassed the field at the Class S championships at Wickham, covering the hilly 3.1-mile course in 18:42 to best the runner-up by 22 seconds. In the process, she led the Spartans to the team title.

That was just a preview of what was to follow the next week at the State Open. She chopped 40 seconds off of her winning time, blitzing the competition with a 46-second victory in 18:02.

“This year not only did Rachel accomplish her goals, but she surpassed them,” Somers coach Michael Szafir said. “She became a Connecticut state champion and finished second in the New England race, which is a big deal for anyone, but is not often done by a runner from a small school.”

St. Germain has maintained an A average in the classroom, and has signed a National Letter of Intent to run at Quinnipiac University this fall. A member of the school’s Class Act Committee, she has volunteered locally on behalf of the town library, clothing drives for the needy and a youth running program.

Through Gatorade’s “Play it Forward” platform, St. Germain has the opportunity to award a $1,000 grant to a local or national organization of their choosing that helps young athletes realize the benefits of playing sports. She is also eligible to submit a short video explaining why the organization they chose is deserving of one of twelve $10,000 spotlight grants, which will be announced throughout the year.