For a list of the other Gatorade State Girls Track & Field Athletes of the Year, click here

THE WINNER: Allyson Simmons

THE BASICS

School: Fairless (Navarre, Ohio)
Grade: Senior
Event: Pole vault
Height: 5-foot-7

Athletic achievement: She cleared a state-record 13 feet, 4.25 inches in the pole vault to win her second straight Division 2 state championship this spring. Simmons is also a two-time indoor state champion in the pole vault and her winning effort this spring ranked as the nation’s No. 6 performance among prep competitors in 2014 at the time of her selection.

Academic excellence: Simmons has maintained a 3.43 GPA.

Exemplary character: She has volunteered locally on behalf of a nursing home, the Salvation Army, youth sports camps and the Stark County Humane Society.

THE PRAISE

“Ally gives a tremendous amount of effort, day in and day out,” said Fairless head coach Ben Russell. “She’s an excellent competitor, and whether it’s on the track, at the pole vault pit or in the weight room, she trains as if she’s second-best, knowing that she must push herself harder every day.”

THE FUTURE: Simmons has signed with Ohio State.