United States Olympic Committee Announces Nominees for USOC 2003 SportsMan, SportsWoman, Team of the Year
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (February 9, 2004) - - The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) today announced the nominees for its 2003 SportsMan, SportsWoman and Team of the Year honors. The nominees are the 2003 Athletes and Teams of the Year representing Olympic, Pan American, Affiliated and Disabled Sport Organizations within the U.S. Olympic Movement.
Each year the USOC recognizes the top male and top female athletes and the top team as selected by their respective member organizations. The names of the athletes and teams are placed on ballots used to select the USOC SportsMan, SportsWoman and overall Team of the Year. Members of the USOC Board of Directors and Athletes Advisory Council, along with representatives of the national media, comprise the voting panel that selects the USOC SportsMan, SportsWoman and Team of the Year.
Honored last year for their accomplishments in 2002 were cyclist Lance Armstrong, figure skater Sarah Hughes and the U.S. Women's Bobsled Team.
Forty-four females and 46 males, as well as 28 teams, are being honored by the USOC for their athletic accomplishments in 2003. The athletes and teams acknowledged by their respective organizations are:
2003 Male Athletes of the Year
Olympic & Pan American Sport Organizations:
(Sport: Name, Hometown)
Archery: Richard 'Butch' Johnson (Woodstock, Conn.)
Badminton: Raju Rai (Anaheim, Calif.)
Baseball: Huston Street (Austin, Texas)
Basketball: Tim Duncan (St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands)
Biathlon: Jeremy Teela (Anchorage, Alaska)
Bowling: Tim Mack (Garfield, N.J.)
Boxing: Jason Estrada (Providence, R.I.)
Curling: Pete Fenson (Bemidji, Minn.)
Cycling: Lance Armstrong (Austin, Texas)
Diving: Caesar Garcia (Baton Rouge, La.)
Equestrian: Chris Kappler (Pittstown, N.J.)
Fencing: Keeth Smart (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
Field Hockey: Shawn Nakamura (Camarillo, Calif.)
Figure Skating: Tim Goebel (Rolling Meadows, Ill.)
Gymnastics: Paul Hamm (Waukesha, Wis.)
Ice Hockey: Brett Hull (Duluth, Minn.)
Judo: Jimmy Pedro (Lawrence, Mass.)
Karate: John Fonseca (Chicago, Ill.)
Luge: Mark Grimmette (Muskegon, Mich.)
Modern Pentathlon: Vakhtang 'Vaho" Iagorashvili (Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia)
Racquetball: Rocky Carson (Mission Viejo, Calif.)
Roller Sports: Joey Mantia (Ocala, Fla.)
Rowing: Jon Watling (Greenwich, Conn.)
Sailing: Mark Mendelblatt (St. Petersburg, Fla.)
Shooting: Walton Glenn Eller III (Houston, Texas)
Skeleton: Chris Soule (Trumbull, Conn.)
Skiing: Bode Miller (Franconia, N.H.)
Soccer: Landon Donovan (Redlands, Calif.)
Softball: Mike Dryer (Blue Springs, Mo.)
Speedskating: Apolo Anton Ohno (Seattle, Wash.)
Squash: Preston Quick (Lakewood, Colo.)
Swimming: Michael Phelps (Towson, Md.)
Synchronized Swimming: Bill May (Cicero, N.Y.)
Table Tennis: Mark Hazinski (Mishawaka, Ind.)
Taekwondo: Steven Lopez (Sugarland, Texas)
Team Handball: Gary Hines (Atlanta, Ga.)
Tennis: Andy Roddick (Boca Raton, Fla.)
Track & Field: Tom Pappas (Glendale, Ore.)
Triathlon: Hunter Kemper (Longwood, Fla.)
Volleyball: Jeff Nygaard (Madison, Wis.)
Water Polo: Tony Azevedo (Long Beach, Calif.)
Water Skiing: Jimmy Siemers (Round Rock, Texas)
Wrestling: Kerry McCoy (Middle Island, N.Y.)
Affiliated Sport Organizations:
Orienteering: Brian May (Corner Brook, Newfoundland, Canada)
Disabled Sport Organizations:
U.S. Association of Blind Athletes: Royal Mitchell (Spartanburg, S.C.)
Wheelchair Sports USA: Sylvester Flis (Franklin Park, Ill.)
2003 Female Athletes of the Year
Olympic & Pan American Sport Organizations:
(Sport: Name, Hometown)
Archery: Jennifer Nichols (Cheyenne, Wyo.)
Badminton: Mesinee 'May' Mangkalakiri (Garden Grove, Calif.)
Basketball: Seimone Augustus (Baton Rouge, La.)
Biathlon: Jill Krause Beste (St. Cloud, Minn.)
Bowling: Diandra Asbaty (Dyer, Ind.)
Boxing: Teresa O'Toole (Wilmington, N.C.)
Curling: Debbie McCormick (Rio, Wis.)
Diving: Laura Wilkinson (Spring, Texas)
Equestrian: Debbie McDonald (Hailey, Idaho)
Fencing: Sada Jacobson (Dunwoody, Ga.)
Field Hockey: Katie Beach (West Lawn, Pa.)
Figure Skating: Michelle Kwan (Torrance, Calif.)
Gymnastics: Chellsie Memmel (West Allis, Wis.)
Ice Hockey: Angela Ruggiero (Harper Woods, Mich.)
Judo: Ronda Rousey (Santa Monica, Calif.)
Karate: Junko Arai (Seattle, Wash.)
Luge: Brenna Margol (Sawyer, Mich.)
Modern Pentathlon: Anita Allen (Star City, Ind.)
Racqutball: Cheryl Gudinas (Lisle, Ill.)
Roller Sports: Julie Glass (Olympia, Wash.)
Rowing: Rachel Anderson (Darien, Conn.)
Sailing: Meg Gaillard (Jamestown, R.I./Pelham, N.Y.)
Shooting: Kim Rhode (El Monte, Calif.)
Skeleton: Tristan Gale (Salt Lake City, Utah)
Snowboarding: Gretchen Bleiler (Snowmass Village, Colo.)
Soccer: Amy Wambach (Rochester, N.Y.)
Softball: Natasha Watley (Irvine, Calif.)
Speedskating: Jennifer Rodriguez (Miami, Fla.)
Squash: Latasha Khan (Seattle, Wash.)
Swimming: Amanda Beard (Irvine, Calif.)
Synchronized Swimming: Anna Kozlova (St. Petersburg, Russia)
Table Tennis: Gao Jun (Gaithersburg, Md.)
Taekwondo: Taylor Stone (Denver, Colo.)
Team Handball: Lisa Eagen (Oskaloosa, Iowa)
Tennis: Serena Williams (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.)
Track & Field: Deena Drossin Kastor (Agoura, Calif.)
Triathlon: Laura Reback (North Palm Beach, Fla.)
Volleyball: Danielle Scott (Baton Rouge, La.)
Water Polo: Ellen Estes (Novato, Calif.)
Water Skiing: Regina Jaquess ((Suwanee, Ga.)
Wrestling: Kristie Marano (Albany, N.Y.)
Affiliated Sport Organizations:
Orienteering: Erin Olafsen (Sandwich, N.H.)
Disabled Sport Organizations:
U.S. Association of Blind Athletes: Karissa Whitsell (Springfield, Ore.)
Wheelchair Sports USA: Jennifer Johnson (Port Chester, N.Y.)
2003 Teams of the Year
Olympic & Pan American Sport Organizations:
(Sport: Team, Names/Hometown)
Archery: Pan American Team - Vic Wunderle (Mason City, Ill.), Guy Krueger (Blessing, Texas), Glenn Meyers (Grand Rapids, Mich.), Jennifer Nichols (Cheyenne, Wyo.), Janet Dykman (El Monte, Calif.), Stephanie Miller (Naperville, Ill.)
Badminton: Men's Doubles Team - Kevin Han (Orange, Calif.), Howard Bach (San Francisco, Calif.)
Baseball: USA Baseball National Team - Matt Campbell (Simpsonville, S.C.), Jeff Clement (Marshalltown, Iowa), Tyler Greene (Plantation, Fla.), Michael Griffin (Dallas, Texas), Stephen Head (Raymond, Miss.), Paul Janish (Cypress, Texas), Jeff Larish
(Tempe, Ariz.), Brent Lillibridge (Everett, Wash.), Mike Nickeas (Westlake Village, Calif.), Justin Orenduff (Chesapeake, Va.), Micah Owings (Gainesville, Ga.), Eric Patterson (Kennesaw, Ga.), Dustin Pedroia (Woodland, Calif.), Danny Putnam
(Escondido, Calif.), Steven Register (Columbus, Ga.), Mark Romanczuk (Newark, Del.), Seth Smith (Terry, Miss.), Huston Street (Austin, Texas), Justin Verlander (Goochland, Va.), Jered Weaver (Simi Valley, Calif.)
Basketball: USA Basketball World Championship for Young Women Team - Seimone Augustus (Baton Rouge, La.), Alana Beard (Shreveport, La.), Temeka Johnson (Kenner, La.), Kristen Mann (Santa Ana, Calif.), Caity Matter (Bluffton, Ohio), Nicole Ohlde (Clay Center, Kan.), Shawntinice Polk (Hanford, Calif.), Cappie Pondexter (Chicago, Ill.), Christi Thomas (Buford, Ga.), Kendra Wecker (Marysville, Kan.), Lindsay Whalen (Hutchinson, Minn.), Tanisha Wright (West Mifflin, Pa.)
Curling: Debbie McCormick Rink - Debbie McCormick (Rio, Wis.), Allison Pottinger (Eden Prairie, Minn.), Ann Swisshelm Silver (Chicago, Ill.), Tracy Sachtjen (Lodi, Wis.)
Diving: Sara Hildebrand (St. Paul, Minn.) and Cassandra Cardinell (Loudonville, N.Y.)
Equestrian: U.S. Show Jumping Team - Margie Engle (Wellington, Fla.), Lauren Hough (Wellington, Fla.), Chris Kappler (Pittstown, N.J.), Beezie Madden (Cazenovia, N.Y.)
Field Hockey: USA Women's National Team - Kate Barber (West Chester, Pa.), Rachel Barger (Springfield, Va.), Kelly Baril (Peabody, Mass.), Katie Kauffman Beach (West Lawn, Pa.), April Fronzoni (Larksville, Pa.), Tracey Fuchs (Centereach, N.Y.), Kelli
Gannon (Escondido, Calif.), Kristi Gannon (Escondido, Calif.), Tara Jelley (Greenfield, Mass.), Meredith Keller (Wilmington, Del.), Robyn Kenney (Readington, N.J.), Tracey Larson (Morrisville, Pa.), Melissa Leoetti (Erdenheim, Pa.), Carrie Lingo
(Rehobeth Beach, Del.), Angie Loy (Loysville, Pa.), Kristen McCann (Allentown, Pa.), Molly Powers (Oak Park, Ill.), Dina Rizzo (Walpole, Mass.), Kelli Smith (Selinsgrove, Pa.), Mimi Smith (Virginia Beach, Va.), Tiffany Snow (Escondido, Calif.),
Peggy Storrar (Mahopac, N.Y.), Amy Tran (Grantville, Pa.), Abbey Woolley (Ocean City, N.J.)
Gymnastics: Women's National Team - Courtney Kupets (Gaithersburg, Md.), Tasha Schwikert (Las Vegas, Nev.), Hollie Vise (Dallas, Texas), Ashley Postell (Cheverly, Md.), Annia Hatch (West Haven, Conn.), Terin Humphrey (Bates City, Mo.), Chellsie
Memmel (West Allis, Wis.), Carly Patterson (Baton Rouge, La.), Nastia Liukin (Plano, Texas), Allyse Ishino (Santa Ana, Calif.), Marcia Newby (Virginia Beach, Va.), Courtney McCool (Kansas City, Mo.), Tia Orlando (Souderton, Pa.), Tabitha Yim (Irvine, Calif.), Liz Tricase (Itasca, Ill.), Nicole Harris (Allentown, Pa.)
Ice Hockey: U.S. Men's National Select Team - Chris Rogles (St. Louis, Mo.), Brett Hauer (Edina, Minn.), Andy Roach (Mattawan, Mich.), Pat Mikesch (Hancock, Mich.), David Roberts (Alameda, Calif.), Ted Drury (Boston, Mass.), Derek Plante (Cloquet, Minn.), Brian Gornick (St. Paul, Minn.), Jeff Panzer (Grand Forks, N.D.), Erik Westrum (Minneapolis, Minn.), Alex Westlund (Flemington Village, N.J.), Barry Richter (Madison, Wis.), Chris Kelleher (Cambridge, Mass.), Jeff Dessner (Skokie, Ill.), Dan
Bjornlie (Eagan, Minn.), Peter Ratchuk (Buffalo, N.Y.), Brett Harkins (North Ridgeville, Ohio), Bryan Lundbohm (Roseau, Minn.), Blake Sloan (Park Ridge, Ill.), Yan Stastny (St. Louis,Mo.)
Karate: U.S. Titan Games Karate Team - Eliza Cabanig (Stockton, Calif.), Barbara Maile Chinen (San Jose, Calif.), Elisa Au (Honolulu, Hawaii), Neil Estaris (Sacramento, Calif.), George Kotaka (Honolulu, Hawaii), Adam Older (Hatfield, Pa.), Tommy Hood
(Columbia, S.C.), John Fonseca (Chicago, Ill.), Ali Anissipour (Redmond, Wash.), Billy Finnegan (New York, N.Y.)
Luge: Doubles Team - Mark Grimmette (Muskegon, Mich.), Brian Martin (Palo Alto, Calif.)
Roller Sports: USA Men's World Inline Roller Hockey Team - J.P. Beilsten (Florissant, Mo.), David Brito (San Diego, Calif.), James Bufalino (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich.), Mike Ciolli (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Dan Costanza (Chicago, Ill.), Richard
Garvey (Ogdensburg, N.Y.), Robert Laurie (Clarkson, Mich.), Zygmund Marszalek (North Bellmore, N.Y.), Taj Melson (Plymouth, Minn.), Jerry Osterkamp (Baldwin Park, Calif.), Ron Tracy (Williamstown, N.J.), Eric Weichselbaumer (East Longmeadow, Mass.),
Charles Yoder (Hershey, Pa.), Jamie Yoder (Elizabethtown, Pa.)
Rowing: U.S. National Team Men's Eight - Pete Cipollone (Ardmore, Pa.), Jon Watling (Greenwich, Conn.), Joey Hansen (Bakersfield, Calif.), Jeff Klepacki (Kearny, N.J.), Bryan Volpenhein (Cincinnati, Ohio), Wolf Moser (Moultonboro, N.H.), Mike Wherley
(Sun Prairie, Wis.), Jason Read (Ringoes, N.J.), Ryan Torgerson (Cleveland Heights, Ohio)
Sailing: Women's Three-Person Keelboat - Hannah Swett (New York, N.Y.), Joan Touchette (Newport, R.I.), Melissa Purdy (Tiburon, Calif.)
Shooting: Pan American Games U.S. Shotgun Team - Kim Rhode (El Monte, Calif.), Brandie Neal (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Collyn Loper (Indian Springs, Ala.), Bill Keever (Phenix City, Ala.), Lance Bade (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Chris Kiernan (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Jeff Holguin (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Randy Sotowa (Arcadia, Calif.), Shawn Dulohery (Lee's Summit, Mo.)
Skeleton: Men's World Cup Skeleton Team - Chris Soule (Trumbull, Conn.), Brady Canfield (Red Lodge, Mont.), Kevin Ellis (Dallas, Texas), Zach Lund (Salt Lake City, Utah)
Softball: Women's National Team - Jessica Mendoza (Camarillo, Calif.), Lovieanne Jung (Fountain Valley, Calif.), Nicole Giordano (Saugus, Calif.), Crystl Bustos (Canyon Country, Calif.), Amanda Freed (Cypress, Calif.), Cat Osterman (Houston, Texas), Nina Lindenberg (Anaheim Hills, Calif.), Tairia Mims (Tucson, Ariz.), Keira Goerl, (Moreno Valley, Calif.), Lisa Fernandez (Long Beach, Calif.), Leah O'Brien-Amico (Chino Hills, Calif.), Lori Harrigan (Las Vegas, Nev.), Jaime Clark (Tustin, Calif.), Jennie Finch (La Mirada, Calif.), Natasha Watley (Irvine, Calif.), Jenny Topping (Whittier, Calif.), Stacey Nuveman (La Verne, Calif.), Laura Berg (Santa Fe Springs, Calif.)
Squash: USA Women's Team - Latasha Khan (Seattle, Wash.), Louisa Hall (Haverford, Pa.), Meredith Quick (Denver, Colo.)
Synchronized Swimming: World Championship Team - Alison Bartosik (Santa Clara, Calif.), Erin Dobratz (Clayton, Calif.), Mary Hofer (San Diego, Calif.), Becky Jasontek (Loveland, Ohio), Anna Kozlova (St. Petersburg, Russia), Sara Lowe (Desoto, Texas), Lauren McFall (Los Altos, Calif.), Stephanie Nesbitt (Riverside, Calif.), Katie Norris (Tallahassee, Fla.), Kendra Zanotto, (Los Gatos, Calif.)
Tennis: Men's Doubles - Bob Bryan (Camarillo, Calif.), Mike Bryan (Camarillo, Calif.)
Volleyball: Beach - Misty May (Costa Mesa, Calif.), Kerri Walsh (Saratoga, Calif.)
Water Polo: U.S. Women's Team - Robin Beauregard (Huntington Beach, Calif.), Gabbie Domanic (Santa Ana, Calif.), Ellen Estes (Novato, Calif.), Jackie Frank (Long Beach, Calif.), Natalie Golda (La Habra, Calif.), Erika Lorenz (San Diego, Calif.), Heather Moody (Green River, Wyo.), Thalia Munro (Santa Barbara, Calif.), Nicolle Payne (Cerritos, Calif.), Heather Petri (Orinda, Calif.), Amber Stachowski (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.), Brenda Villa (Commerce, Calif.), Margie Dingeldein (Merced, Calif.)
Water Skiing: U.S. Elite Water Ski Team - Rhoni Barton (Orlando, Fla.), Brandi Hunt (Clermont, Fla.), Regina Jaquess (Suwanee, Ga.), Freddy Krueger (Decatur, Ill.), Jimmy Siemers (Round Rock, Texas), Karen Truelove (Winter Garden, Fla.)
Wrestling: U.S. World Cup Team - Patricia Miranda (Saratoga, Calif.), Jenny Wong (Woodbury, Minn.), Tina George (Cleveland Heights, Ohio), Sally Roberts (Federal Way, Wash.), Sara McCann (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Kristie Marano (Albany, N.Y.
Affiliated Sport Organizations:
Orienteering: Canoe-Orienteering C2M - Aims Coney (Stow, Mass.), J-J Coté (Lunenburg, Mass.)
Disabled Sport Organizations:
U.S. Association of Blind Athletes: Men's Goalball Team - Daryl Walker (Jacksonville, Fla.), Donte Mickens (Tallahassee, Fla.), John Mulhern (Lebanon, Pa.), Joe Hamilton (Wayne, Mich.), Edward Munro (St. Augustine, Fla.), Tyler Merren (Wayland, Mich.)
Wheelchair Sports USA: Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC) Blackhawks Sled Hockey Team - Bill Bogdan (South Holland, Ill.), Scott Brandon (St. Louis, Mo.), Patrick Byrne (Chicago, Ill.), Ramon Canellada (Chicago, Ill.), Matthew Coppens (Richton Park, Ill.) PJ Crouch (Great Lakes, Ill.), Mike Doyle (Pennsauken, N.J.), Sylvester Flis (Franklin Park, Ill.), Brian Ruhe (Chicago, Ill.), Jack Sanders (Pekin, Ill.), Andy Yohe (Bettendorf, Iowa)