Moses Brown's Sophia Gorriaran named Gatorade RI Girls Track & Field Player of the Year

Journal Staff
·2 min read

One of the best distance runners Rhode Island has ever seen, Sophia Gorriaran of Moses Brown School, has been named the 2021-22 Gatorade Rhode Island Girls Track & Field Player of the Year. It is her third straight award.

The 5-foot-6-inch junior broke her own state record in the 800-meter run at the Track Night NYC Trials of Miles in New York in May. At the time of her selection, Gorriarian’s mark of 2:00.65 ranked third nationally among prep competitors in 2022 and was tied for fifth in history among prep girls.

The owner of 11 state records (four outdoors, seven indoors), she also won the 200-meter dash and the 800- and 1,500-meter runs at the Class C state meet, leading the Quakers to a team title. Her season-best 400-meter-dash time of 54.46 seconds ranked 36th in the country in 2022.

Gorriaran is also a top lacrosse player who plays both sports during the spring season. She also earned Providence Journal All-State honors for both sports and just last week was named The Journal's Girls Indoor Track Player of the Year.

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“Sophia is a phenomenal athlete and a great kid,” said Chris Magill, head coach of St. Raphael Academy. “She is the best middle-distance runner Rhode Island has ever had.”

The Gatorade award recognizes athletic excellence, high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field. Gorriaran has volunteered locally at an inner-city elementary school and as a youth track coach. In the classroom, she has maintained a weighted 3.89 GPA in the classroom.

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Moses Brown's Sophia Gorriaran looks for some space in the defense during a lacrosse game in April against North Kingstown.
Moses Brown's Sophia Gorriaran looks for some space in the defense during a lacrosse game in April against North Kingstown.

Now a three-time winner, Gorriaran joins recent Gatorade Rhode Island Girls Track and Field Players of the Year Annika Kelly (2018-19, Barrington High School) and Nikki Merrill (2017-18, Portsmouth High School) among the state’s list of former award winners. She is also among an elite alumni association of state award-winners in 12 sports, including Lolo Jones (1997-98, Roosevelt High School, Iowa), Allyson Felix (2002-03, Los Angeles Baptist High School, Calif.) and Robert Griffin III (2006-07, Copperas Cove High School, Texas).

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Moses Brown's Gorriaran is Gatorade RI Girls Track Player of the Year