American swimmer Katie Ledecky has been named the 2017 AP Female Athlete of the Year. The honor comes in a whirlwind year where Ledecky finished her freshman season at Stanford with 5 titles in March, and then went on to win 5 gold medals and 1 silver at the 2017 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest.
In the process, while Ledecky didn’t break any World Records, she did set American Records in 3 individual events and as a part of 3 relays.
Ledecky is the first collegiate athlete to win the award since 1995 when UConn basketball player Rebecca Lobo won it, and the first swimmer to win since Amy Van Dyken in 1996.
The award is voted on by AP Sports Editors across the United States. While athletes of all nationalities are eligible, Americans have won the vast majority of the awards. The men’s honor has been won by swimmers 4 times, which includes most recently Michael Phelps in 2008 and 2012.
Update: The 2017 AP Male Athlete of the Year is Jose Altuve, who plays professional baseball for the Houston Astros.
Final AP Female Athlete of the Year Voting, 2017:
- Katie Ledecky – 351 points
- Serena Williams – 343 points
- Allyson Felix – 248 points
All-Time Swimmers Who Won the AP Female Athlete of the Year Award
- 1931 – Helene Madison
- 1937 – Katherine Rawls
- 1942 – Gloria Callen
- 1944 – Ann Curtis
- 1962 – Dawn Fraser (Australia)
- 1969 – Debbie Meyer
- 1996 – Amy van Dyken
Who else?
FINA named Sjostrom, no? I get the ap is focused toward Americans, still weird to get female athlete of the year but not female swimmer of the year.
That said, I love Ledecky. Serena winning the Australian Open without losing a set, while 2 months pregnant, is pretty special, but maybe not enough to carry the whole year.
Ledecky is 100% deserving of this reward
I think it’s time that this category has more worthy candidates. There are literally 1000’s of channels on tv and there is no reason why female athletes shouldn’t be getting bigger sponsors and making it big on a variety of channels
The Olympic channel has been great. The recent winter content leading into the Winter Olympics has been great and both the male and female content has been very entertaining
But I think it can go even further. There is no reason why a rich investor shouldn’t make a female only sports channel (or two) to feature more female athletes/leagues/sports. Tennis is the only sport where the female athletes are now equal… Read more »
Another thing about Ledecky’s college swimming.
She didn’t swim the mile at conference as she went on doing 400 IM 200 free double. Later on she changed her events choice at NCAA.
Regardless it was her own decision or her coach’s, I don’t think it is wise to do thing like that.
Even Dressel does the same events at both meets.
Conference is a simulation of NCAA, it providing you a perfect field to pre-running NCAA, why not use it fully?
And people only ask Dressel to do time trials for 200 IM at conference but actually expecting Ledecky to do 400 IM at Pac-12 or NCAA…
I have no preference of what events Ledecky’s gonna swim at both… Read more »
With the downvotes, me guessing none of you will believe I against the decision for putting Ledecky directly in the final of 100 free relay before Worlds started.
https://swimswam.com/2017-worlds-previews-usa-spells-trouble-aus-w-400-free-relay/#comment-532245
It just…so many decisions made by Greg Meehan, are debate.
Ledecky frankly, should not have been on that relay….her split was slow. Should have gone to Lia Neal. She was put on because of her split from Rio…if she cant replicate that, it should go to Neal, Vollmer, Wietzel or whatever upstart emerges between now and 2020…and thats saying something, considering they broke the American record and won gold. The Americans have the potential to beat the Aussies with Cate Campbell and crew at full strength, IF they play their cards right.
…BUT, she’s totally deserving of this award. Might not have been her best year but, like other have said, its all about timing. Her overall performance in Budapest would be deemed a HUGE success by anyone else’s standards. No Biles, and Serena was out like half the year…no one else comes close
Ledecky was 6th at Indy, it earned her a spot for prelims at least. But putting the sixth place finisher directly into the final, was bold(even her last name is Ledecky).
I know she had 52 split under her belt the previous year, but unlike previous, she had a 400m swim before the relay this year.
Consider Neal qualified for just this relay, Worrell having a double too(shorter distance, longer warm down time, placing higher at Indy), it should had been handle in another way.
It doesn’t seem like any other coaches will be selected as women team head coach other than Meehan in the next two years though…
Why wasn’t it wise for Ledecky to swim the 400 IM at conference? Please remind us.
You missing my point. I against they made their events choice different in conference and NCAA.
As I state, I have no preference of what events Ledecky’s gonna swim at both meets.
If she wants to do 400 IM 200 free double, good. Do it the same at NCAA.
If she wants to go 400 IM 1650 free, good also. Do it the same at NCAA.
But if she go 400 IM 200 free double at conference, 200 free 1650 free at NCAA, end up adding time to the mile from her season swim…
I know some of you might think of “who is this gigglewater” “easier said than done” “what’s the point of belated comment”… Read more »
Ledecky- Meehan relationships is a big open question. How much is this coach occupied with Ledecky’s individual progress as a super swimmer? How much is he interested and dedicated in making her even greater legend? How much she is willing to sacrifice for the sake of team/coach glory. Understanding that may help your confusion about event selection at conference and NCAA meets. Maybe it was Katie who wanted to set two impressive records in her name (400IM and under 15min 1650 race). Maybe it was coach’s decision to give another swimmer of equal strength at 400IM to shine at final. Maybe it was the safest way to maximize team’s points. Maybe the conference combination of doubles was much tougher and… Read more »
Totally deserving of the award. Probably other years too. Totally well founded to question the Ledecky-Meehan relationship. Totally well founded to selfishly wish Katie focused on lcm and not college. Totally right to wish her the best.
Ledecky seems to genuinely not enjoy swimming the mile. Seems crazy because she can be such a beast at it, but I don’t think she likes restraining her speed that much. Consider:
In the last 4 seasons, Ledecky swam the 1500 only 3 times outside of major internationals.
She never swam the 1500 for almost 2 years, 8/2015 to 6/2017.
At Trials/Nationals, she swims nothing instead of the 1500 on the last day.
In SCY, Ledecky has swam the 1650 only 5 times (total!) in the last 5 seasons.
She never swam the 1650 for almost 2 years, 12/2014 to 11/2016.
If the number of races at particular distance can be used as indicator of what a swimmer likes most then 200 is what Katie fall in love with (ledeckydaily).
Maybe I don’t understand what LOVE means but it doesn’t look to me that that is the case between Katie and 200. Maybe that is the strong example of unrequited love. 😀
She rarely swam the 1500 when it was non Olympic event. She rarely swam any yards events leading up to Rio.
Why do people think that the 2017 season wasn’t successful for Katie Ledecky? Is it because she hasn’t broken her beyond comprehension personal bests (aka world records) in long course? Well she did plenty of them in yards. Is it because she didn’t shave 3 sec from the 1650y record making it under 15 min? Is it because for the first time in her career she was second at the major race? But she is #1 at this distance this year. She was faster Pelligrini’s time day before and day after. Well things happen in particular race. Is it because she hasn’t repeated Missy Franklin’s record of 6 gold medals having just 5 gold and 1 silver medals?
I… Read more »
Mainly beacuse Ledecky first tie with Comerford at NCAA and lost to Pellegrini tie with Mckeon in 200 free later.
Her 800, I was expecting a 808-810 base on her 400 time. It was the first time ever her best swim wasn’t come from the end of the season.
(pretending no one remember her 100 free relay split here…)
If the three things I mention above turn into a better result(let’s say if she just lost to Pellegrini but didn’t tie with Mckeon…sorry Emma!), things we wrote on this board will be different.
Last thing, her face during 800 podium speak for herself, she was sad(about the swim or the week or the whole season I… Read more »
I agree wholeheartedly, Ledecky herself said she had no goals for this year and it was just the prep for Tokyo. We saw in Rio how she prepares for a cycle, and she hit the goals that she set in the beginning (that seemed impossible). Last year was a solid start for her and as we’ve already seen in yards, she’s not done and she’ll give us some special swims along the way before dropping something in 2020.
Of all the female swimmers who could win an award like this I still find it suprising van Dyken won in 96!
Uhm.., so 29 year-old Federica Pellegrini (who already objected a lot about Morini’s choice, instead her coach Giunta, as Italian coach of the year) has been able to defeat at Worlds the female athlete of the year, considering every sport…
Anyway:
1) Like already written in some comments, Ledecky’s career certainly deserves this prize
2) This choice won’t certainly be the worst: between 2002 and 2005 4 times honored Lance Armstrong (and at Olympics 2004 Michael Phelps won 6 gold) and 4 times honored Tiger Woods as well.
These are the most named male athletes ever, also over Michael Jordan.
And to cite another debatable choice: Ben Johnson, male athlete of the year 1987.
This comment will be long but I have something to say.
It’s about the women 1500 free added to the Olympics program and Ledecky.
In case some of you didn’t know, Ledecky had yet committed to swim 1500 free in Tokyo.
http://olympics.nbcsports.com/2017/06/26/katie-ledecky-usa-swimming-nationals/
Secondly, we have no idea how the schedule is gonna be with women 1500, men 800 and mixed medley relay being added.
And there is, Ledecky’s performance in this Worlds Championship.
For all the points I listed above, me guessing Ledecky is waiting for IOC and FINA to announce the official schedule for Tokyo Olympics.
Here is the thing, if women 1500 free being added at the beginning of the meet(just like… Read more »
It is too early to talk about the Olympics
As I said, it would be better if they run the new schedule at 2019 first. To do that, I am hoping they will announce it 6 or 12 months before Worlds.
It is not too early to talk about it now…
And no one thinks it overkill having TWO 1500m swim at the second and third day at Worlds Championship??
If they followed the current schedule, I doubt Li and Smith will take part the 1500 free at 2019.
Good thoughts.
I suggest that FINA add a “day 0” to their Olympic program. This would be the same day as opening ceremonies. This would give them a chance to play with their schedule and move some distance prelims to the front. This is already done in some of the team sports at the Olys where a few early round robin matches are played on day -2 and day -1.
How about two timed finals without any prelims hears on Day 0 ?