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

THE WINNER: Ella Donaghu

THE BASICS

School: Grant (Portland, Ore.)
Grade: Sophomore
Event: Distance running
Height: 5-foot-4

Athletic achievement: The 5-foot-4 sophomore won the 1,500-meter run with a time of 4:31.21 and captured the 3,000-meter run in 9:56.79 at the Class 6A state championship meet this spring, leading the Generals to second place as a team. The state’s reigning Gatorade Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year, Donaghu broke the state record in the 3,000 with a time of 9:24.86, which ranked as the nation’s No. 3 performance among prep competitors in 2014 at the time of her selection.

Academic excellence: Donaghu has maintained a 4.0 GPA.

Exemplary character: A mentor for younger runners, she has volunteered locally on behalf of a soup kitchen and a homeless shelter, and participates in the Friends First Club, which helps integrate special needs students at her school.

THE PRAISE

“Ella is one of those kids who is very talented, but also has the drive and work ethic to get the most out of that ability,” said Grant head coach Jim Tucker. “She has a lot of room for growth and she can still get stronger; her ceiling is unlimited.”

THE FUTURE: Donaghu will be a junior this fall.