When Blane McElroy was honored with North Carolina’s Gatorade Player of the Year award for her feats on the soccer field, she accomplished off the pitch she wants to be remembered for.

The rising senior and team captain at Providence Day earned the distinction for leading the Chargers to a 24-1-1 overall record last season, a 4A state championship, and a school record 39 goals and 31 assists, among others.

“It's an incredible achievement - winning the Gatorade Player of the Year is a huge honor and highlights Blane's hard work, talent, and dedication,” Chargers head girls soccer coach Dan Dudley says. “Blane's greatest strength is her soccer IQ. Technically, she is so comfortable with the ball and contributes with goals and assists.

“She also has an engine and never tires. Her ability to dribble and drive and get out of tight spaces is remarkable. She is a true leader and wears her heart on her sleeve each and every game for her teammates.”

Off the field, her heart belongs to the Soccer Foundation of Charlotte or Soccer FC, which provides soccer access and education to the city’s underserved communities. Blane and her sister have raised over $6,500 for Soccer FC and also host an annual camp.

The Gatorade Player of the Year award allows each honoree to give a $1,000 community grant to an organization that’s made a social impact. Blane donated her grant to Soccer FC, along with an additional $10,000 she received as a Play It Forward Spotlight Grant.

Blane was one of 12 recipients of the $10,000.

“[Soccer FC] believes in the power of sport and that every child should be able to play soccer and have the opportunity to be a part of a team,” Blane says. “Almost 50,000 children in Charlotte live at or below the poverty line. That means that 50,000 children in our community will struggle to play in youth sports programs. Soccer FC provides free after-school soccer programming to underserved communities. They give these children the opportunity to be part of a team, to wear their very own jersey, and to have a coach and mentor of their own.”

The Soccer FC foundation also provides a literacy component, using soccer as a hook to encourage reading.

“It’s a cause I feel strongly about and have been working to support,” Blane says, “and I am honored to have been provided with an amazing opportunity through selection as the NC Gatorade Player of the Year to use this honor to give an additional $11,000 to Soccer FC.”

Blane quit competitive gymnastics at nine years old to focus on soccer. The central attacking midfielder led the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association in goals, assists, and points for last season.

“Soccer has given me so much,” she says. “I love being part of a team. Soccer also gives me a creative and competitive outlet, even more so I feel during my high school season. It is part of why I have loved playing in my time for Providence Day, especially under Coach Dudley.”

Blane has verbally committed to play soccer at Purdue University in Indiana. She plans to study finance and quantitative business economics.

“There are so many great players on our team at Providence Day and in North Carolina that I was honored to even be considered for the award,” she says of winning Gatorade Player of the Year. “The award considers a number of factors, including athletic excellence, academic excellence, and character, including community involvement.”