April 6, 2007

Fairfax, Va.--One of Mason's women's basketball recruits, Tayler Wejnert (G; Ramsey, N.J./Academy of Holy Angels), who signed a National Letter of Intent this past November to begin play with the Patriots in the 2007-08 season, earned Gatorade Player of the Year honors for the state of New Jersey as announced by the company.

Wejnert closed out her playing career at the Academy of Holy Angels as the all-time scoring leader with 1,698 points. In addition, Wejnert posted career averages of 18.1 points per game, as well as 8.2 rebounds per contest at AHA. In 2007, Wejnert helped lead her team to the Bergen County Championship and she was also selected as the Bergen County Tournament MVP. Also in 2007, Wejnert was part of an AHA team that went undefeated in league play for the first time in school history (16-0) and the team ended with an overall record of 24-2.

Wejnert is a three-time all-county first team honoree and was also named to the All-North Jersey First Team in 2006 and 2007. The New Jersey native collected first team all-state honors senior season, as well as being named to the all-league first team. Wejnert led the North New Jersey Interscholastic League in scoring her last three years of high school, including a 22.2 ppg average showing her senior year. The New Jersey native is also a McDonald's All-American nominee.

In 1985, The Gatorade Company established an award honoring America's elite high school student-athletes. In the subsequent two decades, the Gatorade Player of the Year award has become the most prestigious award in high school sports. In each state and the District of Columbia, Gatorade Player of the Year award-winners are selected annually in football (boys), volleyball (girls), boys and girls soccer, boys and girls basketball, baseball (boys), softball (girls), and boys and girls track & field. As a result, the award's legacy is built on the achievement of the nearly 9,000 State and 176 National Players of the year who have been honored during that time.