Ellie Coffield spent part of her vacation at the Outer Banks, N.C., with one eye fixed on the surf and the other glued to her email.

The Mars graduate, who helped the Planets' girls soccer team to back-to-back WPIAL and PIAA Class 3A championships, was eager to find out if she had accomplished another repeat.

Coffield won the Pennsylania Gatorade Girls Soccer Player of the Year Award after her junior season and she was up for the honor again this year.

“I didn't really know what to expect,” Coffield said. “My family was saying, 'You got it last year, maybe they'll want to give it to someone else this year. Don't get super bummed.' But, to be honest, in the back of my mind I was thinking, 'Come on. I really want to get it again this year.'”

Coffield checked her email religiously, knowing that's how she would find out if she had achieved the honor again.

Wednesday morning, the email appeared in her inbox.

The first line: “Congratulations.”

Coffield joined an elite group of athletes who have won the Gatorade player of the year award twice in their careers.

The last to do it in Butler County was Knoch graduate and track and field standout Jordan Geist in 2016 and 2017.

As the Pennsylvania honoree for girls soccer, Coffield is eligible to win the national award and she has a compelling resumè.

Coffield finished her senior season with 26 goals and 34 assists as Mars went 19-0, won the state title and was ranked No. 1 nationally in the final United Soccer Coaches poll.

She was also named to the all-state team and was also an All-American selection.

“When you add all the things together, it's a pretty strong case for her,” said Mars girls soccer coach Blair Gerlach. “When you look at it on paper, you're almost looking for a reason why she shouldn't get it.”

The award isn't all about performance on the field.

It's also about performance in the classroom and character.

Coffield checks the boxes there, too.

Coffield graduated early from Mars and already has a semester under her belt at the University of Pittsburgh, where she will play soccer in the fall.

As far as character goes, Gerlach said she has few peers.

“The kid always put the team before herself,” Gerlach said. “She just always wants more. She's just relentless.”

Coffield isn't getting ahead of herself. She knows the competition for the national award is fierce.

“To win that would be unbelievable,” Coffield said. “I wouldn't have words for that one. Hopefully my chances are a little better since I'm a repeat state winner. There can't be too many girls who can say that out of the 50 of us. We'll see what happens.”

Coffield, though, has bigger things on her mind post-vacation.

She is already training hard for her first collegiate season at Pitt and she is eager to finally put the uniform on in a match after committing to the Panthers nearly three years ago.

“It's been awhile,” Coffield said. “Even just getting in the locker room and seeing my name in there above my locker was really exciting.”

So was practicing with some of the players she has followed on social media for years.

“Just waiting to get there these past few years and then finally getting on the field with the girls who I've only seen through my phone screen — it was such a great and such a cool experience.”

Coffield hopes to be on the field with them a lot.

Her goal is to play right away at Pitt. It's a lofty one, but Coffield has rarely shot low.

She's always aiming high.

When Coffield looks back at what she and Mars achieved in four years — especially the last two when the Planets have gone 41-0-1 — she's in awe.

“The national-ranking was a little extra special,” Coffield said. “To be recognized like that on a national level, to say, 'Hey, we're little Mars, but look at what we've done, look at us,' that meant a lot. We wanted to prove ourselves every game.”

Coffield actually has three PIAA gold medals. She was a freshman on the Mars girls basketball team that won a state title in 2017-18.

“My four years were picture perfect,” Coffield said. “I couldn't have capped my high school career any better than I did.”