Hawk Talk Monthly — June | Fight For Iowa
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Incoming University of Iowa freshman Hailey Rydberg has been named the 2017-18 Gatorade Illinois Girls Soccer Player of the Year.
The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Rydberg as Illinois’s best high school girls soccer player. Rydberg is now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Girls Soccer Player of the Year award that will be announced in June.
The midfielder from St. Charles, Illinois, scored 22 goals and tallied 15 assists as a senior at St. Charles North High School, leading the North Stars to a 21-1-1 overall record and to the Class 3A state quarterfinals. Rydberg is a two-time first-team all-state selection by the Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association and she was a 2017 United States Coaches All-American honoree.
Rydberg finished her prep career with 53 goals and 50 assists.
Rydberg has volunteered locally as part of multiple fundraising campaigns to benefit pediatric cancer research and donated her time as a youth soccer coach. In the classroom, Rydberg maintained an A-minus average.
