A New Jersey high school student has won the Gatorade National Girls Soccer Player of the Year Award for the first time since 2003.

For Hunterdon Central High School student Emily Mason, being named the best girls high school soccer player in the country is a career highlight, and she is only 17 years old.

“It was so surprising seeing [pro soccer player] Mallory Pugh be like, ‘I just want to tell you that you won’ and to turn around and see my high school coaches with this giant trophy. It’s really huge,” Mason says.

The rising senior helped Hunterdon Central win a state championship this past fall. She is already committed to play for Rutgers University in 2021.

“There’s so much talent in the country and New Jersey itself. There’s so much talent, so, me winning this just opens my eyes to see how people view me as a player,” she says.

Many of the women who previously have won this award have gone on to do great things with the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team. Mason says that it is amazing to be a part of the group.

“Just knowing my name is now on something with such amazing athletes just motivates me,” she says.

Mason says that she hopes to continue following in those players’ footsteps. She is already part of U.S. Soccer’s under-20 Women’s National Team.

“I’ve always dreamed about making the full team and going pro, so I feel like this just motivates me to keep going and keep reaching for my dreams,” she says.

Mason is now a finalist for the Gatorade Female High School Athlete of the Year Award which will be announced in July.