The United States Olympic Committee today announced the finalists for the Team USA Awards presented by Dow, Best of June, 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 Wednesday, July 5.
A total of nine sports – beach volleyball, boxing, equestrian, Para track and field, soccer, synchronized swimming, taekwondo, track and field, and weightlifting – are represented among the 13 finalists across men’s, women’s and team categories.
Each of the finalists automatically qualify for consideration for the 2017 Team USA Awards presented by Dow Best of the Year. Their collective accomplishments tell the inspiring story of U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes year-round. A complete list of monthly finalists from the 2016-17 qualification period can be found at TeamUSA.org. The 2017 Best of the Year Awards will be held Nov. 29 in Los Angeles.
In addition to Dow, the presenting sponsor, the Team USA Awards are supported by DICK’S Sporting Goods and USG.
JUNE FINALISTS
Male Athlete of the Month
Ryan Crouser (Boring, Oregon), Track and Field
Defeated the reigning world champion and Olympic silver medalist to win the men’s shot put at the USATF Outdoor Championships, with a throw of 22.65 meters – the best mark in the world since 2003.
CJ Cummings (Beaufort, South Carolina), Weightlifting
Won his fourth-consecutive world title and defended his IWF junior world crown in the 69 kg. division, extending a winning streak that dates back to June 2016 at the youth world level.
Kent Farrington (Wellington, Florida), Equestrian
Riding atop six different mounts, collected three CSI5* wins and three additional CSI5* top-three finishes at the Spruce Meadows and the Longines Global Champion tour stop.
Isaac Jean-Paul (Grayslake, Illinois), Para Track and Field
Smashed a 14-year-old world record in his national championship debut in the men’s T13 high jump, leaping 2.10 meters to win the national title.
Christian Pulisic (Hershey, Pennsylvania), Soccer
Scored two second-half goals in the span of 10 minutes to lead Team USA to a 2-0 World Cup Qualifying victory over Trinidad and Tobago, while also aiding the U.S. to a 1-1 draw over Mexico.
Female Athlete of the Month
Breanna Clark (Los Angeles, California), Para Track and Field
Claimed the national title and cut more than a second off the women’s T20 400-meter world record in 56.71 seconds to qualify for her first world championship team.
Ginny Fuchs (Kemah, Texas), Boxing
Won her first continental championships title and won all four bouts by unanimous decision, including a win over the 2016 Olympic bronze medalist en route to the gold-medal bout.
Jackie Galloway (Wylie, Texas), Taekwondo
Claimed the women’s +73 kg. silver medal at the World Taekwondo Championships, defeating the reigning Olympic gold medalist from China, 4-3, in the semifinals.
Laura Graves (Geneva, Florida), Equestrian
Won two CDIO5* classes atop Verdades to help the U.S. clinch the team gold medal at the FEI Nations Cup Dressage series event at the CHIO Rotterdam.
Dalilah Muhammad (Bayside, New York), Track and Field
Won the women’s 400-meter hurdles in 52.64 seconds, topping a stacked field that featured six women who finished under 54 seconds at the USATF Outdoor Championships.
Team of the Month
Brooke Sweat (Estero, Florida) and Summer Ross (Carlsbad, California), Beach Volleyball
Won gold at the AVP Seattle Open, posted two runner-up finishes at the AVP New York City Open and FIVB World Tour in Moscow, and placed fifth at the FIVB World Tour stop in The Hague, Netherlands.
U.S. Show Jumping Team, Equestrian
Defeated Canada to win the gold medal at the FEI Nations Cup Jumping series event, qualifying for the FEI Nations Cup Jumping Final.
U.S. Women’s Senior National Team, Synchronized Swimming
Having only trained together for two months, won Team USA’s first-ever world series team gold medal at the Synchro American Open with wins over Canada and Argentina.
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.
Press Release courtesy of USOC.
