SwimSwam’s Official Ballot for the 2024 Golden Goggles Awards

The 2024 Golden Goggles Awards are heading to the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown, just footsteps from Lucas Oil Stadium that played host to the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials in June, home to the largest crowds that swimming has ever seen, at least in the modern era.

The city will now welcome back the sport’s best, this time trading their suits and goggles for different kinds of suits and other fashionable eveningwear as the governing body for international swimming in the U.S. decides its best of the year.

• Vote for your choices here. It’s unclear how these votes weigh, if at all, and the results of the fan vote haven’t been public in recent years.

As you work through your picks, below is SwimSwam’s official ballot of who we think should win each award. Keep in mind that USA Swimming chooses the nominees and award winners based almost exclusively on the results of the year’s primary long course meet – in this case the Olympic Games.

While we recognize that this meet should be weighed heavily, we put a little more emphasis on the rest of the results of the season.

• Luke Hobson
• Aaron Shackell (SwimSwam’s Pick)
• Alex Shackell
• Gretchen Walsh

This one seems pretty clear cut to me. Three of these swimmers were on the 2023 World Championship roster. Gretchen Walsh even won a medal at those World Championships in the 50 fly.

Aaron Shackell entered 2024 with a best of 3:47.00 in the 400 free. His sister was the best-known of the three Shackell siblings coming into the summer, but Aaron broke through in a huge way at the Olympic Trials, not just making the team but winning the 400 free in Indianapolis, close to his home town of Carmel.

It came in a rocky year too, one where he started at Cal before returning to Carmel to make his final preparations for the Games.

At the Olympics, he swam 3:45.45 to make the final as well, ultimately finishing 8th.

My guess is that the award will go to Walsh because of her World Record, but I think the amplitude of Shackell’s breakout should be the winner.

I thought Emma Weber or Paige Madden could have been valid nominees as well. I might have chosen Madden if she were an option, though USA Swimming put her in the Perseverance category instead (probably because of her age).

COACH OF THE YEAR

• Bob Bowman (SwimSwam’s Pick)
• Todd DeSorbo
• Greg Meehan
• Anthony Nesty

This is always such a tricky award. I think it’s clear that Bob Bowman had the best year among American coaches. He’ll probably win our Swammy award in December. But his biggest successes were with a French swimmer Leon Marchand, a Hungarian swimmer Hubert Kos, and his college team Arizona State.

But I think you could justify him taking this award even if you ignore that. Regan Smith had 5 medals (2 gold, 3 silver); Simone Manuel had a big bounceback year to make the Olympic Team; and along with his top assistant (and now replacement at Arizona State) Herbie Behm, they put a bunch of swimmers on the American team too.

If we whittle it down to just work with American athletes, I think all four nominees have an equally-strong case. What Greg Meehan to bring Torri Huske from a disappointing meet last year to arguably the best performer for Team USA, top to bottom, in Paris was masterful. Anthony Nesty leading Ledecky to more golds and Bobby Finke to the World Record was the boost that the U.S. needed to salvage a tough meet. Todd DeSorbo loaded up the women’s Olympic Team, including 200 IM champion Kate Douglass, and one of the big surprises of the meet: putting Emma Weber on the Olympic Team.

If I had to limit the choice to just American swimmers, it’s tough but I think I’d go… DeSorbo. While Meehan with Huske was the best single athlete coaching performance of the year, what DeSorbo did with a breadth of women, plus the NCAA title, that’s the edge for me.

Also, no Dave Durden nomination is an anomaly, but a justified one, for one of America’s most consistent coaches on the international stage over the last decade.

FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR 

• Kate Douglass
• Torri Huske (SwimSwam’s Pick)
• Katie Ledecky
• Regan Smith
• Gretchen Walsh

This is another one that comes down to a value judgement, what you think is most important. Torri Huske‘s performance was the one that the U.S. needed the most, especially with what she did on the relays. Katie Ledecky‘s continued excellence, winning two individual gold medals and being resilient to some of the biggest challenges she’s had in a while shouldn’t be underappreciated just because she’s done it so many times.

Some will completely discount Huske’s medal performances, but I don’t think that’s fair. She was the crucial leg on a number of relays for Team USA. She held off China in the mixed 400 medley relay and outsplit Australian star Mollie O’Callaghan. The U.S. was never going to catch Australia in the 400 free relay, but her 52.06 there was the difference versus China for silver. Huske beat the newly-minted World Record breaker Gretchen Walsh in the 100 fly final.

I think Huske’s swims just meant more, but I’m willing to accept the counter argument.

FEMALE RACE OF THE YEAR 

• Kate Douglass, 200m breaststroke
• Torri Huske, 100m butterfly (SwimSwam’s Pick)
• Katie Ledecky, 1500m freestyle

Another tough one. All three great swims (I presume all are referencing the Olympic finals).

Huske beat the World Record holder (Walsh), the only of the three who can claim that. Ledecky broke the Olympic Record, the only of the three who can claim that. Douglass was the only of the three who swam a lifetime best at the Olympics.

I’m going to knock out Douglass because the world’s best in that event, Evgeniia Chikunova, wasn’t at the Olympics. I think the nature of Huske’s win was most impressive, so I’ll make her my choice again.

Ledecky probably wins at least one of the above two awards, because USA Swimming decision makers know that she is the organization’s biggest ticket right now.

FRAN CRIPPEN OPEN WATER SWIMMER OF THE YEAR 

• Mariah Denigan
• Katie Grimes (SwimSwam’s Pick)
• Ivan Puskovitch

Grimes was 15th at the Olympics, Denigan was 16th, and Puskovitch was 19th, so all three were in a pretty similar position. It’s kind of a coin toss, and I assume the award will go to Grimes because she was the best finisher at the Olympics, so I’ll make her my choice too.

• Nic Fink
• Bobby Finke (SwimSwam’s Pick)
• Ryan Murphy

This feels like a slam dunk. The gold medalist, the World Record breaker, Bobby Finke winning his second Male Athlete of the Year Award (2022).

MALE RACE OF THE YEAR 

• Nic Fink, 100m breaststroke
• Bobby Finke, 1500m freestyle (SwimSwam’s Pick)
• Luke Hobson, 200m freestyle

Loved that Luke Hobson swim, but once again, I think this choice is pretty obvious. The only individual men’s gold medal, saving the mood of the meet for the Americans and helping with a final day topping of the medals table: Bobby Finke.

If he wins, he would become the second swimmer to win this award four straight years, joining Michael Phelps from 2006-2009. Katie Ledecky also won the women’s award for four consecutive years from 2012-2015.

PERSEVERANCE AWARD

• Caeleb Dressel (SwimSwam’s Pick)
• Paige Madden
• Simone Manuel
• Emma Weyant

Normally I kind of hate this award, because it’s so hard to peg down what they mean by “perseverance,” but this year, I think there are two athletes who absolutely deserve it.

Caeleb Dressel found his way back to Team USA after the famous breakdown at the 2022 World Championships that forced him to leave that meet early, and won three relay medals (gold, gold, silver).

Simone Manuel dealt with overtraining syndrome in 2021, and also found her way back to Team USA this summer, winning a pair of silver relay medals.

Both swimmers were once the stars of Team USA. Neither swimmer was particularly close to an individual medal.

Ultimately, Dressel had the better finishes at the Olympics, (6th in the 50 free, three medals), so that’s my tie breaker.

RELAY PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR 

• Men’s 4x100m freestyle relay
• Mixed 4x100m medley relay
• Women’s 4x100m medley relay (SwimSwam’s Pick)

All three great relay performances, all three gold medals, but let’s zero in on the women’s 400 medley and mixed 400 medley, which also broke World Records.

The mixed medley was the better race in that a gutsy anchor from Torri Huske pulled out a very tight win for Team USA, but I think the women’s medley relay, with all four swimmers firing and winning by three and a half seconds in the Olympic final, is the best performance. That one really highlighted a spot where Team USA was really good, as a group, in a meet where there not many spots to flash that quality.