Delcambre's Emma Smith named Gatorade Louisiana Girls Track and Field Player of the Year

CHICAGO — In its 41st year celebrating the nation’s best high school athletes, Gatorade on Thursday announced Emma Smith of Delcambre High School is the 2025-26 Gatorade Louisiana Girls Track and Field Player of the Year.
Gatorade Player of the Year is the top honor in high school sports, celebrating the nation’s best high school athletes for their excellence in sport, academics and community. The award recognizes Smith as Louisiana’s best high school girls track and field athlete and she joins an elite legacy that spans professional athletes and coaches to CEOs, such as Sanya Richards (2001-02, St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Florida), Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (2015-16 & 2016-17, Union Catholic Regional High School, New Jersey) and Jane Hedengren (2024-25, Timpview High School, Utah).
The 5-foot-6 junior jumper won the LHSAA Class 2A state title in the high jump this past season with a mark of 5 feet, 7 3/4 inches, scoring in two additional events to lead the Panthers to a ninth-place finish as a team. Smith also broke a state record that had stood for 16 years by soaring 6-feet-0 at the Panther Relays, a clearance that ranked No. 5 nationally among prep girls competitors this spring. She broke five meet records in 2026 and was named Outstanding Overall Performer Award at eight different meets.
Elected to serve as Student Council Vice-President for her upcoming senior year, Smith has volunteered locally mentoring middle school athletes in jumping, hurdling and conditioning skills. She has also donated her time working in the concession stand for various school athletic events.
“While Emma Smith dominated the action on home state soil, her victory in the high jump at the Bluebonnet Invitational in Texas and her runner-up showing at the Texas Relays cemented her as a poised performer,” said Rich Gonzalez, editor of PrepCalTrack.com. Smith has maintained a 4.0 GPA in the classroom. She will begin her senior year of high school this fall.
The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one state winner from each of the 50 states and Washington D.C., in 12 different sports: football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, baseball, softball, boys and girls soccer, and boys and girls track & field. In total, 610 high school athletes are honored each year.
From the pool of state winners, one national winner is selected in each of the 12 sports. The selection process is administered by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which leverages experts including coaches, scouts, media and others as sources to help evaluate and determine the winners in each sport.
As part of Gatorade’s commitment to breaking down barriers in sport, every Player of the Year also receives a grant to donate to a social impact partner. To date, the Gatorade Player of the Year program has provided more than $6.4 million in grants to winners across more than 2,200 organizations.
To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, check out past winners or to nominate student-athletes, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com or follow us on social media on Instagram at instagram.com/Gatorade, Facebook at facebook.com/GatoradePOY and X (Twitter) at x.com/Gatorade.