Mesa Dobson’s Hannah Carson was named the 2007-08 Gatorade Arizona Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Yea today. Carson is the first Gatorade Arizona Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year to be chosen from Dobson. Carson is now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year award to be announced later this month.

The freshman thrower, sprinter and jumper launched the javelin 167 feet, 11 inches at the Sun Angel Classic, the best throw in the nation this spring. At the Class 5A Division I state meet, Carson won the shot put with a throw of 41-10.5 and the discus with a throw of 125-7. The javelin is not a state-sanctioned event in Arizona. Carson, who is the USATF Junior Olympics Championships Youth Girls age group national javelin record holder, also placed third in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.30 seconds and third in the long jump with a leap of 18-0.5.

Carson has maintained a 3.18 GPA in the classroom. A member of the Arizona Cheetahs Track Club, she volunteers as part of multiple community-service initiatives on behalf of the First Institutional Church in Phoenix. Carson has also volunteered on behalf of the Chandler Rotary Invitational track and field meet as well as at the Hershey’s Track & Field Games in Pennsylvania.

“She’s only a freshman, but she has the experience that most kids don't get until they reach the college ranks," Dobson coach Ray Hayes said. “We knew about her ability before the public knew, but now everybody gets to see it. She’s multi-talented. She’s a very rare athlete. In this day and age, we don’t see someone like her very often.”

Carson will begin her sophomore year of high school 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.

Carson joins recent Gatorade Arizona Girls Track & Field Athletes of the Year Natalie Johnson (2006-07, Phoenix Xavier), Kenyanna Wilson (2005-06, Peoria), and Taylor Evans (2004-05, Phoenix South Mountain) among the state’s list of former award winners.

For more on the Gatorade Player of the Year program, including nomination information, a list of past winners, and the announcement of the Gatorade National Player of the Year, visit gatorade.com/playeroftheyear.