McCallie’s Drew Viscomi Named Gatorade Soccer Player of the Year in Tennessee

(gatorade.com/poy) CHICAGO (June 12, 2017) — In its 32nd year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, today
announced Drew Viscomi of McCallie School as its 2016-17 Gatorade Tennessee Boys Soccer Player of the Year. Viscomi is the
second Gatorade Tennessee Boys Soccer Player of the Year to be chosen from McCallie School.
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 Viscomi as Tennessee’s best high school boys soccer player.
Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Boys Soccer Player of the Year award to be announced in June, Viscomi joins an
elite alumni association of past state soccer award-winners, including Alexi Lalas (1987-88, Cranbrook HS, Mich.), Steve Cherundolo
(1996-97, Mt. Carmel HS, Calif.), Abby Wambach (1997-98, Our Lady of Mercy, N.Y.), Heather O’Reilly (2001-02, 2002-03, East
Brunswick HS, N.J.), Matt Besler (2004-04, Blue Valley West HS, Kans.), Jack Harrison (2013-14, Berkshire HS, Mass.), Mallory Pugh
(2014-15, Mountain Vista HS, Colo.).
The 5-foot-8, 155-pound senior midfielder led the Blue Tornado to a 14-1-4 record and the Division II, Class AA state championship
this past season. Viscomi scored 36 goals and passed for 12 assists, picking up one of each in McCallie’s 3-2 win over Montgomery Bell
Academy in the state title game. A two-time First Team All-State selection, Viscomi was a 2016 TopDrawerSoccer.com All-American.
He concluded his prep soccer career with 89 goals and 35 assists.
A self-taught guitarist, Viscomi has volunteered locally working with inner-city kids as part of the Chattanooga Sports Ministries and as
a youth soccer coach. “Drew is the most dangerous player in the state,” said Dustin Walker, head coach of Boyd-Buchanan School. “I
feel like McCallie is up 1-0 before the game even begins because they have Drew. They aren’t the same team without him.”
Viscomi has maintained a 3.96 GPA in the classroom. He has signed a national letter of intent to play soccer on scholarship at
Northwestern University beginning 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 work with top sport-specific experts and a media
advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport.
Viscomi joins recent Gatorade Tennessee Boys Soccer Players of the Year Lucas Altman (2015-16, Science Hill High School), Johnny
Heckman (2014-15, Centennial High School), Brad Ross (2013-14, Franklin High School), Trey Gill (2012-13, Montgomery Bell
Academy), Tim Baker (2011-12, Knoxville Catholic High School), Chandler Gagnon (2010–11 & 2009-10, Evangelical Christian School),
Mark Sherrod (2008–09, Carter High School), Stephen Morrissey (2007-08, Battle Ground Academy), and Tom Webster (2006-07,
Bearden High School) among the state’s list of former award winners.
As a Gatorade Player of the Year, Drew will be able to select a national or local youth sports organization to receive a grant as part of
the Gatorade Play It Forward program. Every Gatorade Player of the Year state winner receives a $1,000 grant to donate and will have
the opportunity to enter for an additional $10,000 spotlight grant by writing a brief essay explaining why their selected organization
deserves additional support. 12 spotlight grants – one for each sport – will be announced throughout the year.