Wakefield star wins girls Gatorade track and field athlete of the year award for NC

Wakefield's Veronica Fraley has been named the Gatorade girls track and field athlete of the year for North Carolina.

Though Wakefield has a number of individual girls track and field champions, and six team championships (three outdoor, three indoor), this is the first time Gatorade has honored a Wolverines girls track and field athlete with its annual award.

Fraley won the New Balance Nationals outdoor title in the discus with a throw of 169 feet, four inches. That wasn't even her best throw on the year, coming earlier in the spring (175-9).

She also won two outdoor state 4A titles, claiming the discus (142-2) and shot put (47-2).

According to the Gatorade press release, Fraley also has a 4.61 GPA and volunteers with youth sports program and a local thrift store.

“I’ve never seen Veronica take a day off, and her dedication permeates throughout the whole team,” said Wakefield coach Trent Wilson in a statement. “She is a very motivated and driven young lady who will leave an impact on the world.”

Fraley will compete at Clemson this fall.

Former state Gatorade winners include Apex alumna Sydnei Murphy (2014), Ravenscroft's Wesley Frazier (2013), Clayton's Kenni Harrison (2011), Southern Durham's Jacinda Evans (2008) and Southeast Raleigh's Gabby Mayo (2007).

This story was originally published June 21, 2018 at 8:20 AM with the headline "Wakefield star wins girls Gatorade track and field athlete of the year award for NC."