Lauren Jardine kept checking to see who had won.
Once she found out she was a finalist for the Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year award in Utah and had submitted her form, the former Lone Peak High player visited the website that announced the winners. She was mostly curious who the sports drink company would choose, but also thought there was a chance it would pick her.
One day last week, while spending time with a friend, Jardine remembered she had yet to check the website. Then she saw her name.
“I was just kind of going about my daily life and then this amazing thing happened,” Jardine said.
Jardine is the third volleyball player from Lone Peak to win the Gatorade award in volleyball. She tallied 496 kills, 276 digs, 49 service aces and 43 blocks in her senior season. She was also named a 2020-21 Under Armour First Team All-American and a MaxPreps Second Team All-American.
Jardine was also instrumental in Lone Peak winning the 6A state volleyball tournament in November. She said with how her high team finished her junior season only to win the state title the year after, winning the Gatorade award was “like a cherry on top of everything.”
Jardine, who graduated Lone Peak early and has already completed one semester at the University of Wisconsin, credited Knights coach Reed Carlson’s leadership with why the program has consistently produced high level volleyball players.
“I think that Reed has created such a great culture of hard work and determination, whether it be in academics or outside of school or on the court,” Jardine said. “He creates such fire within us to help us be driven to be better players. I think that it’s no surprise that, with his players, we have been given these accolades.”
Jardine will be eligible to play for the Badgers this fall, but has already had the opportunity to be around the team at home games and for its recent NCAA Tournament run that ended in a semifinal loss to Texas.
She said she is looking forward to her first official season as a Wisconsin volleyball player.
“I think the most important thing that I’m excited for is being in that atmosphere with fans and being able to play our game as a team and be who we know we are,” Jardine said.
