2015 Swammy Awards: Katie Ledecky, U.S. Female Swimmer of the Year

2015 U.S. Female Swimmer of the Year Katie Ledecky

Year after year Katie Ledecky has stretched what was thought to be possible in the women’s freestyle events, and 2015 was no different. In arguably the best year of her career, Ledecky took home 5 gold medals from the World Championships to go along with 3 world record breaking swims. Ledecky winning the 400, 800 and 1500 is nothing new, but what set her apart from her previous self this year was her win in the 200 free, and her emphatic world records in the 800 and 1500.

Katie Ledecky sets world record in 800 freestyle at the 2015 FINA world championships Kazan Russia (photo: Mike Lewis, Ola Vista Photography)

Ledecky became the first swimmer in history to win the 200, 400, 800 and 1500 all at the same World Championships. Her win in the 200 free was very impressive, defeating a loaded field full of swimmers who hadn’t broken the 1500 freestyle world record two days in a row the two days prior. Yes, she broke the 1500 world record in the heats and final, but her most impressive swim of the meet had to be her 800. In her final event, Ledecky annihilated her own world record of 8:11.00 all the way down to 8:07.39, a mind blowing swim that had to be considered the swim of the championships.

Ledecky hasn’t been quiet since the World Championships either, as she recently shattered the American record in the 1000 yard free, becoming the first woman ever under nine minutes (8:59.65), obliterating Katie Hoff’s previous record of 9:10.77 from 2007.

Honorable Mention

In no particular order:

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  Kelsi Worrell – 100 fly Toronto 2015 PAn American Games (Photo credit: Chris Tanouye/www.christanouye.com)

  Kelsi Worrell: Worrell asserted herself in 2015 as a premier Olympic contender for next summer. At the NCAA Championships in March, Worrell had an unbelievable meet that included wins in the 100 and 200 fly, an American record in the 100 fly (the first woman under 50), and multiple eye-popping relay splits. She then competed in her first international competition at the 2015 Pan American Games, winning gold in the 100 fly and earned a gold and silver medal as part of relays. Her prelim time of 57.24 ranks her 3rd in the world for 2015 behind only World Championship gold and silver medalists Sarah Sjostrom and Jeanette Ottesen. She then competed at the U.S. National Championships, winning the national title in the 100 fly (57.27), and also collected a bronze medal in the 50 free and was 4th in the 100 back. She capped off her fantastic 2015 with a bang at the Duel in the Pool, setting a new American record in the 100 fly (55.42) and was apart of the 400 medley relay that broke the world record (3:45.20).

• Katie Meili: Meili also had a breakout 2015, winning a surprise gold medal in the 100 breaststroke at the Pan Am Games in 1:06.26. Her prelim time of 1:05.64 ranks her 3rd in the world for 2015 behind only Ruta Meilutyte and Yulia Efimova, making her a serious contender heading into 2016. She also won Pan Am gold as part of the American medley relay. Her success in the 100 continued throughout the summer, as she captured the national title in the 100 breast in San Antonio in August. Like Worrell, Meili capped off 2015 with a bang at the Duel in the Pool, as she claimed a new American record in the 100 breast (1:03.20) and teamed up with Worrell and company on the way to a new world record in the 400 medley relay.