COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The United States Olympic Committee today announced finalists for the Team USA Awards presented by Dow, Best of August, which recognize the outstanding achievements of Team USA athletes from last month. Fans are invited to vote for their favorite athletes and teams at TeamUSA.org/Awards through midnight Tuesday, Sept. 4.
A total of seven sports – including gymnastics, ice hockey, Para-cycling, Para swimming, softball, surfing and swimming – are represented among the 13 finalists across men’s, women’s and team categories. The finalists’ collective accomplishments tell the inspiring story of U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes year-round.
In addition to Dow, the presenting sponsor, the Team USA Awards are supported by DICK’S Sporting Goods and USG.
AUGUST FINALISTS
Male Athlete of the Month
Robert Griswold (Freehold, New Jersey), Para Swimming
Set three Pan American and five American records at the Pan Pacific Para Swimming Championships and finished with four gold medals and one silver.
Sam Mikulak (Newport Coast, California), Gymnastics
Became the first U.S. man in 18 years to claim five all-around national titles after winning the all-around competition and also earned the floor exercise, parallel bars and high bars titles at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships.
Ryan Murphy (Jacksonville, Florida), Swimming
Matched the third-fastest effort in history in the 100-meter backstroke to sweep gold in the 100 and 200 back at the Pan Pacific Championships, and added a third gold medal in the men’s 400 medley relay – earning the Male Swimmer of the Championships honor.
Oz Sanchez (San Diego, California), Para-cycling
Earned his first individual world title since 2011 and won another team gold and individual silver medal at the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships.
Jordan Wilimovsky (Malibu, California), Swimming
Won gold in the 1,500-meter freestyle and open water 10-kilometer, plus silver in the 800-meter freestyle, which marked the top individual medal performance among American men at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships.
Female Athlete of the Month
Simone Biles (Spring, Texas), Gymnastics
Became the first woman to win five all-around titles in USA Gymnastics’ history after winning her fifth senior women’s all-around title at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships, as well as the first to win all four event titles since 1994.
Courtney Conlogue (Santa Ana, California), Surfing
Overcame a serious foot injury to defeat the No. 1 and No. 2 surfers in the world and become the US Open champion.
Katie Ledecky (Bethesda, Maryland), Swimming
Led Team USA women at the Pan Pacific Championships with five medals, including repeat gold-medal performances in the 400-, 800- and 1,500-meter freestyle events, as well as one silver and bronze.
Becca Meyers (Baltimore, Maryland), Para swimming
Set one world, two Pan American and four American records at the Pan Pacific Para Swimming Championships and finished the meet with five gold medals.
Jill Walsh (Syracuse, New York), Para-cycling
Finished the season ranked No. 1 in the UCI Para-cycling rankings after claiming two world titles – her first world crowns since 2015 – at the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships.
Team of the Month
U.S. Under-22 Women’s Select Team, Ice Hockey
Completed a three-game sweep during the Under-22 Series vs. Canada.
U.S. Men’s Handcycling Relay Team, Para-cycling
Crowned world champion after a finish-line win over Italy by Will Groulx (Portland, Oregon), David Randall (Ontario, Ohio) and Oz Sanchez (San Diego, California) at the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships.
U.S. Women’s World Championship Team, Softball
Qualified for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 after finishing with a perfect record and claiming the gold medal at the WBSC Women’s World Championship.
SELECTION PROCESS
Each National Governing Body may nominate one female, one male and one team per sport discipline. An internal nominating committee selects finalists to advance to the voting round. Votes received from NGB representatives and select members of the media account for 50 percent of the final tally, with the other half determined by online fan voting via TeamUSA.org/Awards.
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Congratulations