Barrington junior Jenna Szczesny has been named the 2013-14 Gatorade Illinois Girls Soccer Player of the Year, the Gatorade Company — in collaboration with USA TODAY High School Sports — announced Tuesday.
Szczesny is the first Barrington girls soccer player to earn the distinction. She is a finalist for the Gatorade National Girls Soccer Player of the Year award, to be announced in May.
The 5-foot-10 forward helped lead the Fillies to a 14-3-2 record in the regular season. Barrington was scheduled to take on Wheeling in the semifinals of the Class 3A Barrington Regional Wednesday. Szczesny scored 22 goals and had 15 assists through 15 games. She was named the 2014 MSL Player of the Year.
Szczesny has also maintained a 3.07 GPA while participating in fundraising campaigns to benefit cancer research and volunteering as a preschool mentor and as a youth soccer coach.
“Jenna is the most impactful player we have played against all season,” Loyola Academy coach Craig Snower said in a news release. “She has terrific speed and the ability to finish from all angles. She makes Barrington dangerous at all times.”
Szczesny has verbally committed to play soccer at Loyola University.
