COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - - The United States Olympic Committee today announced the nominees for its 2004 SportsMan, SportsWoman and Team of the Year honors. The nominees are the 2004 Athletes and Teams of the Year representing Olympic, Pan American and Affiliated 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 along with representatives of the national media participate in the voting to select the USOC SportsMan, SportsWoman and Team of the Year.
Honored last year for their accomplishments in 2003 were cyclist Lance Armstrong, figure skater Michelle Kwan and the U.S. Women's Gymnastics Team.
Forty-nine males and 49 females, as well as 39 teams, are being honored by the USOC for their athletic accomplishments in 2004. The athletes and teams acknowledged by their respective organizations are:
2004 Male Athletes of the Year
(Sport: Name, Hometown)
Archery: Vic Wunderle (Mason City, Ill.)
Badminton: Raju Rai (Anaheim, Calif.)
Baseball: Ryan Zimmerman (Virginia Beach, Va.)
*Basketball: Sean May (Bloomington, Ind.) and Chris Paul (Lewisville, N.C.)
Biathlon: Jay Hakkinen (Kasilof, Alaska)
Blind Athletes: Royal Mitchell (Hardeeville, S.C.)
Bobsled: Todd Hays (Del Rio, Texas)
Bowling: Richard Fairley Jr. (Blacksburg, Va.)
Boxing: Andre Ward (Oakland, Calif.)
Canoe/Kayak: Scott Parsons (Sylvania, Ohio)
Curling: Joel Larway (Seattle, Wash.)
Cycling: Lance Armstrong (Austin, Texas)
Diving: Troy Dumais (Ventura, Calif.)
Equestrian: Chris Kappler (Pittstown, N.J.)
Fencing: Soren Thompson (San Diego, Calif.)
Field Hockey: Shawn Hindy (West Lake Village, Calif.)
Figure Skating: Johnny Weir (Newark, Del.)
Gymnastics: Paul Hamm (Waukesha, Wis.)
Ice Hockey: Zach Parise (Faribault, Minn.)
Judo: Jimmy Pedro (Danvers, Mass.)
Luge: Tony Benshoof (White Bear Lake, Minn.)
Orienteering: Brian May (Corner Brook, Newfoundland, Canada)
Racquetball: Jack Huczek (Rochester, Mich.)
Roller Sports: C.J. Yoder (Elizabethtown, Pa.)
Rowing: Bryan Volpenhein (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Sailing: Johnny Lovell (New Orleans, La.)
Shooting: Matthew Emmons (Browns Mills, N.J.)
Skeleton: Chris Soule (Trumbull, Conn.)
Skiing: Bode Miller (Franconia, N.H.)
Softball: Chad Boom (Barnesville, Minn.)
Speedskating-Long Track: Chad Hedrick (Spring, Texas)
Speedskating-Short Track: Apolo Anton Ohno (Seattle, Wash.)
Squash: Preston Quick (Greenwich, Conn.)
Swimming: Michael Phelps (Towson, Md.)
Table Tennis: Ilija Lupulesku (Chicago, Ill.)
Taekwondo: Steven Lopez (Sugar Land, Texas)
Team Handball: Italo Zanzi (Manhasset, N.Y.)
Tennis: Andy Roddick (Austin, Texas)
Tennis-Paralympic: David Wagner (Oro Valley, Ariz.)
Track & Field: Justin Gatlin (Raleigh, N.C.)
Triathlon: Hunter Kemper (Longwood, Fla.)
U.S. Paralympics: Casey Tibbs (San Antonio, Texas), Track & Field
Volleyball (Beach): Stein Metzger (Honolulu, Hawaii)
Volleyball (Indoor): Kevin Barnett (Naperville, Ill.)
Volleyball (Sitting): Chris Seilkop (DeLand, Fla.)
Water Polo: Tony Azevedo (Long Beach, Calif.)
Water Skiing: Freddy Krueger (Winter Garden, Fla.)
Wrestling: Cael Sanderson (Heber City, Utah)
*Only one athlete can be listed on SportsMan of Year ballot; if NGB names two, neither is included in the voting.
2004 Female Athletes of the Year
(Sport: Name, Hometown)
Archery: Jennifer Nichols (Cheyenne, Wyo.)
Badminton: Eva Lee (Orange, Calif.)
Baseball: Laura Brenneman (Rockville, Md.)
Basketball: Dawn Staley (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Biathlon: Rachel Steer (Anchorage, Alaska)
Blind Athletes: Karissa Whitsell (Springfield, Ore.)
Bobsled: Jean Racine (Waterford, Mich.)
Bowling: Shannon Pluhowsky (Phoenix, Ariz.)
Boxing: Jill Emery (New York, N.Y.)
Canoe/Kayak: Rebeccca Giddens (Green Bay, Wis.)
Curling: Erika Brown (Madison, Wis.)
Cycling: Dede Barry (Milwaukee, Wis.)
Diving: Laura Wilkinson (Spring, Texas)
Equestrian: Kimberly Severson (Tucson, Ariz.)
Equestion-Paralympic: Lynn Seidemann (Coppell, Texas)
Fencing: Mariel Zaguinis (Beaverton, Ore.)
Field Hockey: Kate Barber (West Chester, Pa.)
Figure Skating: Sasha Cohen (Laguna Niguel, Calif.)
Gymnastics: Carly Patterson (Baton Rouge, La.)
Ice Hockey: Natalie Darwitz (Eagan, Minn.)
Judo: Ronda Rousey (Santa Monica, Calif.)
Luge: Ashley Hayden (Westborough, Mass.)
Orienteering: Erin Olafsen, (Sandwich, N.H.)
Racquetball: Rhonda Rajsich (Phoenix, Ariz.)
Roller Sports: Julie Glass (Jenison, Mich.)
Rowing: Stacey Borgman (Homer, Alaska)
Sailing: Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.)
Shooting: Kim Rhode (El Monte, Calif.)
Skeleton: Noelle Pikus-Pace (Orem, Utah)
Snowboarding: Lindsey Jacobellis (Windhall, Vt.)
Soccer: Abby Wambach (Rochester, N.Y.)
Softball: Lisa Fernandez (Long Beach, Calif.)
Speedskating-Long Track: Jennifer Rodriguez (Miami, Fla.)
Speedskating-Short Track: Hyo-Jung Kim (Fullerton, Calif.)
Squash: Meredith Quick (Denver, Colo.)
Swimming: Natalie Coughlin (Concord, Calif.)
Table Tennis: Gao Jun (Gaithersburg, Md.)
Taekwondo: Nia Abdallah (Houston, Texas)
Team Handball: Edina Batar (Cortland, N.Y.)
Tennis: Martina Navratilova (Sarasota, Fla.)
Track & Field: Joanna Hayes (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Triathlon: Susan Williams (Springfield, Va.)
U.S. Paralympics: Erin Popovich (Silverbow, Mont.), Swimming
Volleyball (Beach): Kerri Walsh (Saratoga, Calif.)
Volleyball (Indoor): Tayyiba Haneef (Laguna Hills, Calif.)
Volleyball (Sitting): Lora Webster (Cave Creek, Ariz.)
Water Polo: Brenda Villa (Commerce, Calif.)
Water Skiing: Rachel George (Houston, Texas)
Wrestling: Sara McMann (Lock Haven, Pa.)
2004 Teams of the Year
(Sport: Team, Names/Hometown)
Archery: Men's Olympic Team - Vic Wunderle (Mason City, Ill.), Butch Johnson (Woodstock, Conn.), and John Magera (Carterville, Ill.)
Badminton: Men's Doubles - Kevin Han (Orange, Calif.) and Howard Bach (San Francisco, Calif.)
Baseball: USA Baseball National Team - Daniel Bard (Charlotte, N.C.), J. Brent Cox (Bay City, Texas), Joey Devine (Junction City, Kan.), Luke Hochevar (Fowler, Colo.), Stephen Kahn (Anaheim, Calif.), Ian Kennedy (Hunt Beach, Calif.), Mike Pelfrey (Wichita, Kan.), Cesar Ramos (Pico Rivera, Calif.), Mark Romanczuk (Newark, Del.), Ricky Romero (Los Angeles, Calif.), Jeff Clement (Marshalltown, Iowa), Brett Hayes (Calabassas, Calif.), Taylor Teagarden (Carrollton, Texas), Alex Gordon (Lincoln, Neb.), Jed Lowrie (Salem, Ore.), John Mayberry Jr. (Kansas City, Mo.), Troy Tulowitzki (Sunnyvale, Calif.), Chris Valaika (Newhall, Calif.), Ryan Zimmerman (Virginia Beach, Va.), Travis Buck (Richland, Wash.), Trevor Crowe (Portland, Ore.) and Drew Stubbs (Atlanta, Texas)
Basketball: Women's Olympic Team - Sue Bird (Syosset, N.Y.), Swin Cash (McKeesport, Pa.), Tamika Catchings (Duncanville, Texas), Yolanda Griffith (Chicago, Ill.), Shannon Johnson (Hartsville, S.C.), Lisa Leslie (Inglewood, Calif.), Ruth Riley (Macy, Ind.), Katie Smith (Logan, Ohio), Dawn Staley (Philadelphia, Pa.), Sheryl Swoopes (Brownfield, Texas), Diana Taurasi (Chino, Calif.) and Tina Thompson (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Blind Athletes: Women's Goalball - Jennifer Armbruster (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Lisa Banta (Boonton, N.J.), Nicole Buck (Paw Paw, Mich.), Jessica Lorenz (San Francisco, Calif.), Asya Miller (Battle Creek, Mich.) and Robin Theryoung (Clarkson, Mich.)
Bobsled: Men's Team - Todd Hays (Del Rio, Texas), Bill Schuffenhauer (Ogden, Utah), Pavle Jovanovic (Tom's River, N.J.), Steve Mesler (Buffalo, N.Y.) and Brock Kreitzburg (Akron, Ohio)
Bowling: Team USA Men - Dino Castillo (Irving, Texas), David Haynes (Las Vegas, Nev.), Bill Hoffman (Columbus, Ohio), Tony Manna Jr. (Omaha, Neb.), Derek Sapp (Keokuk, Iowa) and Sean Rash (Anchorage, Alaska)
Canoe/Kayak: Whitewater Slalom C-2 - Joe Jacobi (Copperhill, Tenn.) and Matt Taylor (Atlanta, Ga.)
Curling: Patti Lank rink - Erika Brown (Oakville, Ontario), Nicole Joraanstad (Monona, Wis.), Natalie Nicholson (Bemidji, Minn.) and Patti Lank (Lewiston, N.Y.)
Equestrian: Show Jumping Team - Chris Kappler (Pittstown, N.J.), Beezie Madden (Cazenovia, N.Y.), Peter Wylde (Masstricht, The Netherlands), McLain Ward (Brewster, N.Y.), Alison Firestone (Upperville, Va.) and Lauren Hough (Wellington, Fla.)
Fencing: Olympic Men's Saber Team - Keeth Smart (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Ivan Lee (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Jason Rogers (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Field Hockey: Women's Pan American Cup Team - Katie Barber (West Chester, Pa.), Kelly Baril (Peabody, Mass.), Katie Kauffman Beach (West Lawn, Pa.), April Fronzoni (Larksville, Pa.), Tracey Fuchs (Centereach, N.Y.), Kristi Gannon (Escondido, Calif.), Tara Jelley (Greenfield, Mass.), Meredith Keller (Wilmington, Del.), Tracey Larson (Morrisville, Pa.), Melissa Leonetti (Erdenheim, Pa.), Carrie Lingo (Rehoboth Beach, Del.), Angie Loy (Loysville, Pa.), Kristen McCann (Allentown, Pa.), Dina Rizzo (Walpole, Mass.), Keli Smith (Selinsgrove, Pa.), Mimi Smith (Virginia Beach, Va.), Amy Tran (Grantville, Pa.) and Abbey Woolley (Ocean City, N.J.)
Figure Skating: Ice Dancers Tanith Belbin & Ben Agosto (both of Bloomfield Hills, Mich.)
Gymnastics: Women's Senior National Team - Mohini Bhardwaj (Cincinnati, Ohio), Annia Hatch (West Haven, Conn.), Nicole Harris (Allentown, Pa.), Katie Heenan (South Riding, Va.), Terin Humphrey (Bates City, Mo.), Allyse Ishino (Santa Ana, Calif.), Carly Janiga (Paradise Valley, Ariz.), Courtney Kupets (Gaithersburg, Md.), Chellsie Memmel (West Allis, Wis.), Courtney McCool (Kansas City, Mo.), Marcia Newby (Virginia Beach, Va.), Tia Orlando (Philadelphia, Pa.), Carly Patterson (Baton Rouge, La.), Ashley Postell (Cheverly, Md.), Alicia Sacramone (Winchester, Mass.), Tasha Schwikert (Las Vegas, Nev.), Melanie Sinclair (Orlando, Fla.), Elizabeth Tricase (Itasca, Ill.), Hollie Vise (Dallas, Texas) and Tabitha Yim (Irvine, Calif.)
Ice Hockey: Men's National Junior Hockey Team - Dan Fritsche (Parma, Ohio), Jake Dowell (Eau Claire, Wis.), David Booth (Washington, Minn.), Brady Murray (Faribault, Minn.), Dan Richmond (Lake Zurich, Ill.), Matt Carle (Anchorage, Alaska), Corey Potter (Mason, Mich.), Mark Stuart (Rochester, Minn.), James Wisniewski (Canton, Mich.), Jeff Likens (Barrington, Ill.), Ryan Suter (Madison, Wis.), Patrick Eaves (Faribault, Minn.), Greg Moore (Lisbon, Maine), Patrick O'Sullivan (Sterling Heights, Mich.), Brett Sterling (Pasadena, Calif.), Steve Werner (Chevy Chase, Md.), Zach Parise (Faribault, Minn.), Alvaro Montoya (Glenview, Ill.), Dominic Vicari (Clinton Township, Mich.), Matt Hunwick (Sterling Heights, Mich.), Drew Stafford (Faribault, Minn.) and Ryan Kesler (Livonia, Mich.).
Luge: Doubles Team - Mark Grimmette (Muskegon, Mich.) and Brian Martin (Palo Alto, Calif.)
Orienteering: Rogaining - Pavlina and Joe Brautigam (Forest Park, Ga.)
Racquetball: Women's Doubles - Jackie Rice (Ramona, Calif.) and Kim Russell (Austin, Texas)
Roller Sports: Men's Inline Hockey Team USA - James Beilsten (Florissant, Mo.), David Brito (San Diego, Calif.), James Bufalino (Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich.), Mike Ciolli (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Dan Costanza (Schaumburg, Ill.), Jason Deskins (Warren, Mich.), Ernie Hartlieb (Sterling Heights, Mich.), Rich Garvey (Phoenix, Ariz.), Rob Laurie (Long Beach, Calif.), Zygmund Marszalek (North Bellmore, N.Y.), Taj Melson (Plymouth, Minn.), Chris Peterson (Macomb, Mich.), Eric Weichselbaumer (East Longmeadow, Mass.), C.J. Yoder (Elizabethtown, Pa) and Jamie Yoder (Elizabethtown, Pa.)
Rowing: Olympic Men's Eight - Pete Cipollone (Ardmore, Pa.), Bryan Volpenhein (Cincinnati, Ohio), Beau Hoopman (Plymouth, Wis.), Dan Beery (Oaktown, Pa.), Matt Deakin (San Francisco, Calif.), Joseph Hansen (Bakersfield, Calif.), Chris Ahrens (Milwaukee, Wis.), Wyatt Allen (Portland, Maine) and Jason Read (Ringoes, N.J.)
Sailing: Men's 470 - Paul Foerster (Rockwall, Texas) and Kevin Burnham (Miami, Fla.)
Skiing: U.S. Disabled Alpine Ski Team - Clay Fox (Gillett, Wyo.), Monte Meier (Park City, Utah), Andy Parr (North Woodstock, N.H.), George Sansonetis (Winter Park, Colo.), Chris Waddell (Park City, Utah), Sandy Dukat (Chicago, Ill.), Lacey Heward (Boise, Idaho), Allison Jones (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Csilla Kristof (Las Vegas, Nev.), Chris Devlin-Young (Campton, N.H.), Lee Joiner (Red Lodge, Mont.), Kevin Bramble (Truckee, Calif.), Chris Canfield (Breckenridge, Colo.), Nick Catanzarite (Winter Park, Colo.), Ralph Green (Fraser, Colo.), Daniel Metivier (Park City, Utah), Joe Tompkins (Juneau, Alaska), Tyler Walker (Franconia, N.H.) and Laurie Stephens (Wenham, Mass.).
Soccer: Olympic Women's Team - Shannon Boxx (Redondo Beach, Calif.), Brandi Chastain (San Jose, Calif.), Joy Fawcett (Huntington Beach, Calif.), Julie Foudy (Mission Viejo, Calif.), Mia Hamm (Chapel Hill, N.C.), Angela Hucles (Virginia Beach, Va.), Kristine Lilly (Wilton, Conn.), Kristin Luckenbill (Paoli, Pa.), Kate Markgraf (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.), Heather Mitts (Cincinnati, Ohio), Heather O'Reilly (East Brunswick, N.J.), Cindy Parlow (Memphis, Tenn.), Christie Rampone (Point Pleasant, N.J.), Cat Reddick (Birmingham, Ala.), Briana Scurry (Dayton, Minn.), Lindsay Tarpley (Kalamazoo, Mich.), Aly Wagner (San Jose, Calif.) and Abby Wambach (Rochester, N.Y.)
Softball: USA Softball Olympic Team - Laura Berg (Santa Fe Springs, Calif.), Crystl Bustos (Canyon Country, Calif.), Lisa Fernandez (Long Beach, Calif.), Jennie Finch (La Mirada, Calif.), Amanda Freed (Cypress, Calif.), Lori Harrigan (Las Vegas, Nev.), Lovieanne Jung (Riverside, Calif.), Kelly Kretschman (Indian Harbour Beach, Fla.), Jessica Mendoza (Camarillo, Calif.), Tairia Mims Flowers (Fullerton, Calif.), Stacey Nuveman (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.), Leah O'Brien-Amico (Chino Hills, Calif.), Cat Osterman (Houston, Texas), Jenny Topping (Whittier, Calif.) and Natasha Watley (Santa Margarita, Calif.)
Speedskating-Long Track: Men's Team Pursuit - Chad Hedrick (Spring, Texas), KC Boutiette (Tacoma, Wash.) and Derek Parra (Orlando, Fla.)
Speedskating-Short Track: Men's Relay Team - Apolo Anton Ohno (Seattle, Wash.), Shani Davis (Chicago, Ill.), Rusty Smith (Long Beach, Calif.) and J.P. Kepka (St. Louis, Mo.)
Squash: U.S. Women's Team - Latasha Khan (Seattle, Wash.), Meredith Quick (Denver, Colo.), Louisa Hall (Philadelphia, Pa.), Michelle Quibell (Atlanta, Ga.) and Lily Lorentzen (Greenwich, Conn.)
Swimming: Women's 4x200 Freestyle Relay - Natalie Coughlin (Concord, Calif.), Carly Piper (Grosse Point, Mich.), Dana Vollmer (Fort Worth, Texas) and Kaitlin Sandeno (Lake Forest, Calif.)
Synchronized Swimming: Olympic Team - Alison Bartosik (Santa Clara, Calif.), Tammy Crow (St. Louis, Mo.), Erin Dobratz (Clayton, Calif.), Becky Jasontek (Loveland, Ohio), Anna Kozlova (St. Petersburg, Russia), Sara Lowe (Desoto, Texas), Lauren McFall (Los Altos, Calif.), Stephanie Nesbitt (Riverside, Calif.) and Kendra Zanotto (Las Gatos, Calif.)
Tennis: Men's Doubles - Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan (both of Camarillo, Calif.)
Tennis-Paralympic: Men's Doubles - Nick Taylor (Wichita, Kansas) and David Wagner (Oro Valley, Ariz.)
Track & Field: Men's 4x400m Relay Team - Otis Harris (Columbia, S.C.), Derrick Brew (Baton Rouge, La.), Jeremy Wariner (Waco, Texas) and Darold Williamson (Waco, Texas)
U.S. Paralympics: Women's Wheelchair Basketball Team - Patty Cisneros (Lake Station, Ind.), Janna Crawford (Auburn, Wash.), Carlee Hoffman (Grand Rapids, Mich.), Emily Hoskins (Streator, Ill.), Jennifer Howitt (Orinda, Calif.), Susan Katz (Silver Springs, Md.), Teresa Lannon (Atlanta, Ga.), Christina Ripp (Dane, Wis.), Jana Stump (Orlando, Fla.), Rene Tyree (Tucson, Ariz.), Jennifer Warkins (Vernon Hills, Ill.) and Stephanie Wheeler (Norlina, N.C.)
Volleyball (Beach): Misty May (Newport Beach, Calif.) and Kerri Walsh (Saratoga, Calif.)
Volleyball (Indoor): Men's Olympic Team - Lloy Ball (Woodburn, Ind.), Erik Sullivan (Encinitas, Calif.), Phil Eatherton (Glencoe, Mo.), Donald Suxho (Korce, Albania), Reid Priddy (Richmond, Va.), Ryan Millar (Palmdale, Calif.), Riley Salmon (League City, Texas), Brook Billings (Santa Barbara, Calif.), Tom Hoff (Park Ridge, Ill.), Clay Stanley (Honolulu, Hawaii), Kevin Barnett (Naperville, Ill.) and Gabe Gardner (San Clemente, Calif.)
Volleyball (Sitting): Women's Paralympic Team - Lora Webster (Cave Creek, Ariz.), Lori Daniels (Roanoke, Texas), Brenda Maymon (Sellersburg, Ind.), Penny Ricker (Green Bay, Wis.), Erica Moyers (Athens, Ala.), Hope Lewellen (Palos Park, Ill.), Deb Vosler (Eyota, Minn.), Allison Ashfeldt (Newport Beach, Calif.), Gina McWilliams (Flower Mound, Texas), Allison Aldrich (Schuyler, Neb.), Bonnie Brawner (Carrollton, Texas) and Kendra Lancaster (Sheridan, Ind.)
Water Polo: Women's Olympic Team - Robin Beauregard (Huntington Beach, Calif.), Margie Dingeldein (Merced, Calif.), Ellen Estes (Novato, Calif.), Jacqueline Frank (Long Beach, Calif.), Natalie Golda (La Habra, Calif.), Ericka Lorenz (San Diego, Calif.), Heather Moody (Green River, Wyo.), Thalia Munro (Santa Barbara, Calif.), Nicolle Payne (Cerritos, Calif.), Heather Petri (Orinda, Calif.), Kelly Rulon (San Diego, Calif.), Amber Stachowski (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) and Brenda Villa (Commerce, Calif.)
Water Skiing: U.S. Elite Water Ski Team - Rhoni Barton (Orlando, Fla.), Brandi Hunt (Clermont, Fla.), Regina Jaquess (Suwanee, Ga.), Freddy Krueger (Winter Garden, Fla.), Jimmy Siemers (Round Rock, Texas) and Karen Truelove (Winter Garden, Fla.)
Wrestling: Olympic Freestyle Team - Stephen Abas (Fresno, Calif.), Jamill Kelly (Stillwater, Okla.), Cael Sanderson (Ames, Iowa) and Kerry McCoy (Bethlehem, Pa.)