Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky Lead Nominees for Golden Goggle Awards
Photo by Delly Carr
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado, September 26. AFTER claiming a combined 10 medals at the 2014 Pan Pacific Championships, Katie Ledecky (Bethesda, Md.) and Michael Phelps (Baltimore, Md.) headline the nominees for the 2014 USA Swimming Golden Goggle Awards, set for Monday, Nov. 24, at the New York Marriott Marquis.
The nation’s top swimmers and coaches are nominated in eight categories for the 11th Annual Golden Goggle Awards, the annual celebration honoring the sport’s top performances of the year. Hosted by Matt Lauer and Al Roker of NBC’s “TODAY,” this year’s event will once again mix swimming stars with celebrities, business leaders and entertainment icons in the vibrant setting of Times Square.
Full event details, including table and seat purchasing opportunities, can be found at GoldenGoggles.com.
Phelps leads the way with five nominations, including Male Athlete of the Year, Male Race of the Year for the 100-meter butterfly at Pan Pacs, the Perseverance Award and a pair of nods for Relay Performance of the Year.
Ledecky received four nominations, including Female Athlete of the Year, Female Race of the Year for the 400m and 1500m free at Pan Pacs and Relay Performance of the Year for the 4x200m free relay at Pan Pacs.
Additionally, Missy Franklin (Centennial, Colo.) and Maya DiRado (Santa Rosa, Calif.) earned three nominations each.
Golden Goggle Award nominations are based on the year’s top accomplishments by U.S. swimmers, focusing primarily on the 2014 Pan Pacific Championships. The Americans dominated the water in Gold Coast, Australia, topping the table with 43 medals – 16 gold, 13 silver and 14 bronze.
The complete list of 2014 Golden Goggle Award nominees by category is listed below.
Online fan voting is now open and will continue through Friday, Nov. 14. A percentage of the fan vote will count towards the final ballot. Beginning Monday, Sept. 29, USA Swimming will highlight one Golden Goggle Awards category per week on usaswimming.org and across its social media channels in the lead-up to the Nov. 24 event.
Proceeds from the Golden Goggle Awards benefit the USA Swimming Foundation, which has the mission to save lives and build champions – in the pool and in life. In addition to its Make a Splash initiative, a national, child-focused water safety campaign that stresses the importance of learning to swim, the USA Swimming Foundation supports the U.S. National Team and its development efforts aim to establish an endowment to strengthen the future of USA Swimming’s programs and services. The Foundation also serves as the home for our National and Olympic Team Alumni reunions and regional events.
Breakout Performer of the Year
Maya DiRado
Katie McLaughlin
Ryan Murphy
Cierra Runge
Kendyl Stewart
Perseverance Award
Open Water Gold Medalists: Haley Anderson & Andrew Gemmell
Kevin Cordes
Missy Franklin
Michael Phelps
Tom Shields
Coach of the Year
Bob Bowman
Dave Durden
Bruce Gemmell
David Marsh
Relay Performance of the Year
Women’s 4x200m Free Relay – 2014 Pan Pacific Championships
Men’s 4x200m Free Relay – 2014 Pan Pacific Championships
Men’s 4x100m Medley Relay – 2014 Pan Pacific Championships
Female Race of the Year
Cammile Adams – 200m Fly, 2014 Pan Pacific Championships
Maya DiRado – 200m IM, 2014 Pan Pacific Championships
Jessica Hardy – 100m Breast, 2014 Pan Pacific Championships
Katie Ledecky – 400m Free, 2014 Pan Pacific Championships
Katie Ledecky – 1500m Free, 2014 Pan Pacific Championships
Male Race of the Year
Tyler Clary – 200m Back, 2014 Pan Pacific Championships
Nic Fink – 200m Breast, 2014 Pan Pacific Championships
Connor Jaeger – 1500m Free, 2014 Pan Pacific Championships
Michael Phelps – 100m Fly, 2014 Pan Pacific Championships
Female Athlete of the Year
Elizabeth Beisel
Maya DiRado
Missy Franklin
Katie Ledecky
Male Athlete of the Year
Tyler Clary
Connor Jaeger
Michael Phelps
Impressive lineups! Looking forward to it!