By Lysha Williams
Having a local volunteer and community server who is also a scholar boasting a weighted 4.46 GPA and a senior class president would be enough to make any community proud, yet we are only getting started. At 5-feet-8-inches tall, Juliette Whittaker is gaining national attention for her performance on and off the track field. Whittaker joins an esteemed list of former Gatorade Players of the Year which includes Allyson Felix, Lolo Jones, Grant Fisher, Candance Hill and Robert Griffin III, just to name a few.
Whittaker, of Mount de Sales Academy, has been named the 2021-22 Gatorade National Girls Track and Field Player of the Year. Her outstanding record includes numerous first-place wins including three at the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland Championships, alone. Whittaker is heading to Stanford on an athletic scholarship this fall. Her initial visit to the campus sealed the deal: “When I was there with the team, it felt like I was on the team,” she said. “Everyone was welcoming. It was genuine and everyone was kind. I totally saw myself with the teammates on weekends and going to the mall.”
Although we would have loved to keep Wittaker close to home, we will be wishing her all the best from across the country — continue to make the DMV proud, Whittaker.
