Gatorade lauds South Burlington boys soccer star

South Burlington’s Hammad Ali has been named the Vermont high school boys soccer player of the year, Gatorade announced Friday morning.

Ali is the seventh player in program history to receive the award, which recognizes outstanding athletic excellence, high academic achievement and exemplary character.

The 5-foot-10, 150-pound senior scored 11 goals and totaled 15 assists to lead the Wolves (14-3) back to the Division I title game after winning it all in 2022. Ali was also the Burlington Free Press player of the year and a 2023 United Soccer Coaches High School All-American honoree.

Ali earned first place for Biomedical Sciences at the Vermont STEM Fair as a junior. A leader of his school’s Community Service Club, he has volunteered locally as a Red Cross Donor Ambassador and as a youth soccer coach, according to a news release.

“Hammad was the class of the league and the state,” Mount Mansfield coach Dustin Hess said in a statement. “Both times we played South Burlington he eventually took over the game. When everyone was at their best, he was better. Hammad provided the spark to elevate his team.”

Ali has maintained an unweighted 4.02 GPA in the classroom. He will attend the University of Vermont this fall.

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 learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com.

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Contact Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter: @aabrami5.