ORLANDO, Fla. (March 9, 2020) – The best in amateur athletics will be put to a public vote this week for the historic 90th AAU James E. Sullivan Award presented by Eastbay. This award has been presented annually since 1930 to the most outstanding amateur athlete in the United States. Representatives from the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) created the AAU James E. Sullivan Award with the intent to recognize contributions and achievements from amateur athletes across the country.
This year’s group of semifinalists includes:
- Brittany Bowe, Speed Skating, USA Speed Skating
- Jade Carey, Gymnastics, Oregon State University
- Lauren Cox, Women’s Basketball, Baylor University
- Teahna Daniels, Track and Field, The University of Texas
- Yianni Diakomihalis, Men’s Wrestling, Cornell University
- CJ Van Eyk, Baseball, Florida State University
- Justin Fields, Football, The Ohio State University
- Makenzie Fischer, Water Polo, Stanford University
- Adeline Gray, Women’s Wrestling, USA Wrestling
- Jenna Gray, Women’s Volleyball and Track and Field, Stanford University
- Evita Griskenas, Rhythmic Gymnastics, USA Rhythmic Gymnastics
- Morgan Hentz, Women’s Volleyball, Stanford University
- Ryan Hoffer, Men’s Swimming, University of California Berkeley
- Grant Holloway, Track and Field, University of Florida
- Markus Howard, Men’s Basketball, Marquette University
- Sabrina Ionescu, Women’s Basketball, University of Oregon
- Trevor Lawrence, Football, Clemson University
- Spencer Lee, Men’s Wrestling, University of Iowa
- Kaitlin Leslie, Karate, USA Karate/AAU Karate
- Erin Matson, Women’s Field Hockey, University of North Carolina
- Paige McPherson, Taekwondo, USA Taekwondo
- Beata Nelson, Women’s Swimming, University of Wisconsin
- Maggie Nichols, Gymnastics, Oklahoma University
- Yossiana Pressley, Women’s Volleyball, Baylor University
- Dana Rettke, Women’s Volleyball, University of Wisconsin
- Sha’Carri Richardson, Track and Field, Louisiana State University
- Kyla Ross, Gymnastics, University of California Los Angeles
- James Seamus, Men’s Diving, USA Diving (Committed to Duke University)
- Pat Spencer, Lacrosse and Men’s Basketball, Loyola University Maryland (fifth year: Northwestern University)
- Lauren Stivrins, Women’s Volleyball, University of Nebraska
- Megan Taylor, Women’s Lacrosse, University of Maryland
- Abbey Weitzeil, Women’s Swimming, University of California Berkeley
- Cassius Winston, Men’s Basketball, Michigan State University
“We are thrilled to celebrate the 90th year of the AAU James E. Sullivan Award,” said Dr. Roger J. Goudy, President and CEO of the AAU. “Many of the previous recipients have gone on to do great things in the world of sport, and we are excited to name some of the top amateur athletes in their sport to this semifinalist list, who display leadership, citizenship, character and sportsmanship both on and off the field.”
Last year, AAU saw its second volleyball player named to this prestigious honor, the ESPNW Player of the Year and NCAA National Champion Kathryn Plummer, who helped Stanford University to its third NCAA National Championship title in the last four years.
Plummer joined a world renowned list of Sullivan Award recipients, including famed Olympians
Michelle Kwan (2001), Michael Phelps (2003), Paul Hamm (2004) and Shawn Johnson (2008); University of Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning (1997), Penn State guard John Urschel (2013); 200m backstroke world record holder Missy Franklin (2012) and University of Wisconsin setter Lauren Carlini (2016).
“The semifinalist list this year is incredible. These young athletes have made such an impact,” said Melissa Willis, AAU James E. Sullivan Award National Chair. “It is a one-of-a-kind opportunity for us to recognize our outstanding amateur athletes across a number of different sports – from basketball and karate to gymnastics and track and field.”
Voting for the award is open to the public at www.aausullivan.org. The semi-finalist round opens at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, March 9 and closes at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, March 13. Finalists will be named at the AAU Gussie Crawford Lifetime Achievement Award ceremony on Monday, March 23, and the AAU James E. Sullivan Award presentation will be held at the prestigious New York Athletic Club on Tuesday, April 21.
ABOUT THE AAU:
The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is one of the largest- non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the country. As a multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports programs. Founded in 1888 to establish standards and uniformity in sports, the AAU philosophy of “Sports For All, Forever” is now shared by nearly 700,000 members and 150,000 volunteers across 41 sports programs and 55 U.S. districts. For more information, visit www.aausports.org.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Keri Burns, AAU Marketing and Communications Coordinator
p: 407-828-3055
c: 407-280-5110
e: kburns@aausports.org
