2008 Golden Goggles Nominees Announced

By: Swimnetwork.com

Posted: 10/08/08

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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The USA Swimming Foundation today released the nominations for the 2008 Golden Goggle Awards, a black-tie event celebrating the accomplishments of top American swimmers in 2008. The star-studded gala will take place Monday, November 17 at the New York Hilton and will feature the entire 2008 U.S. Olympic swim team, including gold medalists and award nominees Michael Phelps (Baltimore, Md.), Natalie Coughlin (Vallejo, Calif.), Jason Lezak (Irvine, Calif.), Rebecca Soni (Plainsboro, N.J.), and Dara Torres (Los Angeles).

This year’s event will be hosted by NBC sportscaster Bob Costas and will mix entertainment industry celebrities with the swimming stars of the 2008 Olympic Games. A total of 10 Golden Goggle awards will be presented this year, including Male and Female Athlete of the Year.

Fans can vote for the winners online at www.GoldenGoggles.com . Online voting begins October 8 and will continue through November 7.

Phelps headlines the ballot with three individual nominations and three relay nominations following his historic eight-gold medal performance at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Phelps broke four individual world records and was part of three relay world records on his way to winning the most gold medals ever in a single Olympiad. He is followed by Jason Lezak with four nominations. Rebecca Soni leads the women’s field with three nominations and Natalie Coughlin, Christine Magnuson (Tinley Park, Ill.), and Dara Torres all earned two nominations.

The nominees for 2008 Male Athlete of the Year include Phelps, Lezak, Ryan Lochte (Daytona Beach, Fla.) and Aaron Peirsol (Irvine, Calif.). Phelps, Lochte and Peirsol all set individual world records and won Olympic gold in Beijing. Lezak took home his first individual medal in the men’s 100m free, and swam the comeback anchor leg on the men’s 400m free relay. That relay team is also nominated in the Relay Performance of the Year category.

The 2008 Female Athlete of the Year category features Coughlin, Soni, Margaret Hoelzer (Huntsville, Ala.) and Katie Hoff (Towson, Md.). All four of the swimmers set world records in 2008 and earned individual medals at the 2008 Olympic Games, combining for a total of 15 Olympic medals among them. Hoff has won the Female Athlete of the Year award the last three years, while Coughlin won the award in 2004.

The Coach of the Year ballot includes Bob Bowman (Club Wolverine), Gregg Troy (Univ. of Florida), Teri McKeever (Cal Aquatics), Eddie Reese (Longhorn Aquatics), and Dave Salo (Trojan Swim Club). Each of these nominees coached a swimmer to individual Olympic gold in 2008.

In other categories, Matt Grevers (Lake Forest, Ill.), Magnuson, and Soni are nominated as Breakout Performers of the Year. The ballot for the Perseverance Award, given to the athlete who came back from adversity, retirement, illness, injury, etc., to have an outstanding performance at the 2008 Olympic Games, features Lezak, Torres, Eric Shanteau (Lilburn, Ga.), and Emily Silver (Bainbridge Island, Wash.)

The Golden Goggle Awards serve as a fundraiser for the USA Swimming Foundation, which strives to make communities better through the sport of swimming. Among its initiatives is the Make a Splash campaign, a national, child-focused water safety campaign that strives to provide swim lessons for children who otherwise could not afford them.

The event will feature a star-studded red carpet entrance and an athlete green room and gifting room. Media members interested in covering the event should apply for accreditation at www.usaswimming.org/media <http://www.usaswimming.org/media> no later than Nov. 3, 2008.

The complete list of 2008 awards and nominees are as follows:

Breakout Performer of the Year:

Matt Grevers
Christine Magnuson
Rebecca Soni

Perseverance Award:

Jason Lezak
Eric Shanteau
Emily Silver
Dara Torres

Coach of the Year:

Bob Bowman
Teri McKeever
Dave Salo
Gregg Troy
Eddie Reese

Relay Performance of the Year (all from the 2008 Olympic Games):

Men's 400m Free Relay
Men's 800m Free Relay
Men’s 400m Medley Relay

Female Performance of the Year (all from the 2008 Olympic Games):

Natalie Coughlin - 100m Backstroke
Christine Magnuson – 100m Butterfly
Rebecca Soni – 200m Breaststroke
Dara Torres – 50m Freestyle

Male Performance of the Year (all from the 2008 Olympic Games):

Ryan Lochte - 200m Backstroke
Aaron Peirsol - 100m Backstroke
Michael Phelps – 100m Butterfly
Michael Phelps – 400m Individual Medley

Female Athlete of the Year:

Natalie Coughlin
Margaret Hoelzer
Katie Hoff
Rebecca Soni

Male Athlete of the Year:

Jason Lezak
Ryan Lochte
Aaron Peirsol
Michael Phelps

The Impact Award and The Humanitarian Award, given only in Olympic years, will also be presented.

H2OtoMD

Posted on February 06, 2009 11:23 AM

I'll predict the winners: Breakout Performer of the Year: Rebecca Soni Perseverance Award: Dara Torres Coach of the Year: Bob Bowman Relay Performance of the Year (all from the 2008 Olympic Games): Men's 400m Free Relay Female Performance of the Year (all from the 2008 Olympic Games): Rebecca Soni – 200m Breaststroke Male Performance of the Year (all from the 2008 Olympic Games): Michael Phelps – 100m Butterfly Female Athlete of the Year: Natalie Coughlin Male Athlete of the Year: Michael Phelps

SilverMedalMel

Posted on February 06, 2009 11:23 AM

I agree with MP Fan: I think the outstanding performance of the BOG was Phelps' 200 Free victory. Thorpe got to low 1:44. Phelps got the WR to high 1:42. It amazes me that he could go out in 50.5 and come back in low 52. Perseverance is easy: Lezak. Perseverance means not giving up, not taking eight years off.

ShaShane

Posted on February 06, 2009 11:23 AM

Agree with MP and Silvermedalmel: re: 200 free and 400 IM for Phelps. I think the 400 IM even caught Bowman by surprise by the expression on his face. He had been quoted in SwimmingWorld saying he wasn't expecting a big drop in that event because it was the first on a very long program, implying that Phelps would have to pace himself. I remember thinking that he might have shot his wad too early in the week but of course as usual he proved me wrong!!

MP Fan

Posted on February 06, 2009 11:23 AM

A bit disappointed that Phelps' 200 Free has not been nominated for the Male Performance of the Year. Of all Phelps' wins in Beijing, 400 IM & 200 Free impressed me most.