As Tasia Farmer slept soundly in her bed early Tuesday morning, news broke that she had won the post prestigious award for volleyball in the state. Her mother barged in and woke her up to tell her the news.
Farmer, a senior volleyball player at Lone Peak High, has been named the Gatorade Utah Volleyball Player of the Year, the sports drink company announced Tuesday. She is the second girls volleyball player from Lone Peak to receive the award.
“I’m super, super happy and I’m super honored,” Farmer told The Salt Lake Tribune.
The accolade puts Farmer in the running to win the National Player of the Year award in volleyball.
Farmer led Lone Peak to a third consecutive 6A state volleyball championship in November. In her senior season, she amassed 510 kills, 307 digs, 60 aces and 42 blocks. She was named to the 2018-19 Under Armour and MaxPreps All-America second teams, and also became a PrepVolleyball.com All-American.
Farmer signed a national letter of intent with UC Santa Barbara in the fall.
Lone Peak coach Reed Carlson said Farmer’s award was well-deserved because she takes her volleyball career “very seriously.”
“This wasn’t one of those things where she just woke up and she was good at volleyball,” Lone Peak head coach Reed Carlson told The Tribune. “She worked extremely hard to get where she’s at.”
Farmer recalled the first practice of her high school season, when Carlson told her she would be the best player in the state, but she would have to earn it. That initial conversation helped her change her game in a way that catapulted her to the player she became, she said.
“Immediately, I thanked my coaches, especially Reed, that have gotten me this far and put in the time and effort to work with me every day and to spend that time with me,” Farmer said. “Without them, I definitely wouldn’t be here at all.”
Other athletes from Utah who have won the state award include Heather Gneiting (2017-18, Pleasant Grove High School), Dani Barton (2016-17, Brighton High School), Jaiden Farr (2015-16, Morgan High School), Alexsa Parker (2014-15, Snow Canyon High School), and Jessie Jorgensen (2013-14, Timpview High School).
The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track and field. The program also awards one National Player of the Year in each sport.
