Involvement in interscholastic athletics is a popular achievement activity for millions of adolescents. In 2000-2001, the National Federation of State High School Associations reported that 6,705,223 high school students participated in interscholastic athletics across the United States (National Federation of State High School Associations [NFSHSA], 2003). Considerable research has been conducted to examine the benefits of such activity in relation to the social, emotional, and physical development of the students involved (Honey, 1994). In addition to investigating an individual’s need to demonstrate ability in the sport context , researchers interested in achievement motivation seek to understand people’s need to experience feelings of belonging in achievement settings (Baumeister & Leary, 1995). The motivation behind this need to belong may be understood through examinations of the social influences on an individual, such as their social goals and their underlying social reasons for participation in sport. The desire for social interaction or belonging has been largely ignored as a motivator for achievement over the years (Blumenfeld, 1992). As a result, little is known about the contributions that social motivation may have on an individual’s desire to achieve in a given situation. Weiss and Ferrer-Caja (2002) emphasized the importance of considering multiple goals to an individual’s motivation. This study examined interscholastic athletes’ achievement goal orientations and social motivational orientations. The primary focus of the study was to examine the relationships between individuals’ achievement goal orientations and social motivational orientations. Gender comparisons across the variables of interest were also examined. Ninety-one high school athletes (M = 16.3 years) completed two sport-specific measures of individual athlete achievement goal orientations (TEOSQ; Duda & Nicholls, 1992) and social motivational orientations (Social Motivational Orientations Scale for Sport; Allen, 2001). Correlations among variables were computed to determine relationships between the subscales of the TEOSQ (task and ego) and the SMOSS (social affiliation, social status, and social recognition). An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was employed to assess gender differences across the variables. Contrary to the hypotheses, few significant differences were found between males and females on reported dispositional goal orientations and social motivational orientations. Significant correlations were found between an athletes’ definition of success (goal orientation) and dimensions of their social motivational orientation. The implications of these findings in relation to the current sport motivation literature will be discussed.Keyword(s): athletics/sports, gender issues, high school issues