Juliette Whittaker of Mount de Sales in Maryland, a Stanford signee, speaks with DyeStat's Mary Albl about her recognition as the Gatorade National Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year following a surprise ceremony July 6 at her school, where she was presented the award by her father Paul. Whittaker, the national prep record holder in the 800 meters at 1:59.04, became the first female student-athlete from Maryland in any sport to receive national recognition from Gatorade since 1997 and only the fourth competitor overall from the state in the 37-year history of the awards program. She is scheduled to represent the United States on Aug. 1-6 in Cali, Colombia, at the World U20 Championships following her record-setting performance June 25 to win the USATF U20 title at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.