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ARMSTRONG, U.S. POSTAL AMONG FINALISTS FOR USOC SPORTSMAN AND TEAM OF THE YEAR
United States Olympic Committee Announces Finalists For Its 1999 SportsMan, SportsWoman and Team of the Year Awards.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The United States Olympic Committee announced today the top three finalists for its prestigious SportsMan, SportsWoman and Team of the Year awards, which will be presented Saturday, January 8, 2000 at the U.S. Olympic Awards Dinner in Indianapolis.
The finalists for the 1999 USOC SportsMan of the Year award are (in alphabetical order): tennis' Andre Agassi; cycling's Lance Armstrong; and track & field's Maurice Greene. Finalists for the 1999 USOC SportsWoman of the Year award are (in alphabetical order): soccer's Michelle Akers; swimming's Jenny Thompson; and tennis' Serena Williams. The top three finalists for USOC Team of the Year are (in alphabetical order): USA Cycling's U.S. Postal Service Team; U.S. Soccer's Women's National Team; and USA Softball's Women's National Team. The finalists for SportsMan of the Year and SportsWoman of the Year will be invited to the U.S. Olympic Awards Dinner, while representatives of the winning Team of the Year and its head coach will also receive invitations.
The USOC SportsMan and SportsWoman of the Year awards have been presented annually to the top overall male and female athlete from within the USOC member organizations since 1974. In 1996, a team category was added to the USOC's awards program to recognize the accomplishments of teams. Voters include the USOC's Board of Directors, Executive Committee, Athletes' Advisory Council and members of the national media. Winners are selected from the individual male and female Athlete of the Year and Team of the Year nominations provided by the National Governing Bodies for Olympic and Pan American Games sports, and the affiliated and disabled sports organizations. Gold medalists of the 1998 Olympic Winter Games swept last year's awards program, as skier Jonny Moseley was named SportsMan of the Year, skier Picabo Street was named SportsWoman of the Year and the 1998 U.S. Olympic women's ice hockey team claimed the Team of the Year honor.
The USOC and the Indiana Sports Corporation will serve as hosts of the U.S. Olympic Awards Dinner for the second consecutive year. The U.S. Olympic Awards Dinner will take place in the Sagamore Ballroom of the Indiana Convention Center at 7:30 p.m. Two different ticket packages are available to the public for the event. The Gold Medal Package, which includes tickets to the U.S. Olympic Awards Dinner, the IMAX screening of the film "Olympic Glory" and the IMAX reception, can be purchased for $150 per person, or $1,500 for a table of 10. The Silver Medal Package includes tickets to the U.S. Olympic Awards Dinner and a reception for $100 per person, or $1,000 for a table of 10.
A portion of the proceeds from the dinner will be used to support America's athletes in their Olympic endeavors. For additional ticket information, please contact the Indiana Sports Corporation at (317) 237-5000 or (800) HI-FIVES.
The following is a synopsis of the accomplishments of the 1999 Sports Awards finalists. The USOC SportsMan, SportsWoman and Team of the Year announcement will take place at the U.S. Olympic Awards Dinner on January 8:
1999 USOC SportsMan of the Year Finalists:
Andre Agassi (Las Vegas, Nev.) won two Grand Slam singles titles--the US Open and the French Open--this year. He also reached the singles final at Wimbledon and returned to the number one world ranking just 20 months after being ranked as low as number 141 in the world. By virtue of winning the French Open, Agassi became only the fifth man in the history of tennis to win all four Grand Slam tournaments. Many consider 1999 to be the best year of his career.
Lance Armstrong (Austin, Texas) took the cycling world by storm, winning the prestigious 1999 Tour de France and posting the largest victory margin in a decade in the fastest ever Tour de France. Armstrong became only the second U.S. cyclist to win the world famous event. In addition to his world class performance in the Tour de France, Armstrong finished fourth in short-track cross country and sixth in cross country at the Chevy Trucks National Championship Series. He was also second in the Amstel Gold Race, which is a World Cup cycling event. Armstrong is currently coached by the USOC's 1999 National Coach of the Year Chris Carmichael.
Maurice Greene (Granada Hills, Calif.) Considered by many to be the "world's fastest human," Greene won three gold medals at the World Outdoor Track & Field Championships in June, taking the 100 and 200 meter titles and running on the victorious 4x100-meter relay. However, his most noteworthy accomplishment was setting the world 100 meters record with a time of 9.79 seconds at the World Outdoor Championships. Greene added another honor to his list this year, winning the 60 meters at the World Indoor Championships. He is also the outdoor U.S. national champion in the 200 meters.
1999 USOC SportsWoman of the Year Finalists:
Michelle Akers (Orlando, Fla.) re-established herself as one of the world's most dominant soccer players, performing a vital role in helping the USA capture the Women's World Cup last summer. Her contributions also helped her earn the Bronze Ball as one of the most valuable players in the Women's World Cup. Akers was an effective weapon in the air and with her long-range shooting. She also reached the century mark for career goals early in 1999 and scored two more goals in the Women's World Cup. She started 18 of 20 games for Team USA.
Jenny Thompson (Dover, N.H.) won three titles (100m freestyle, 200m freestyle and 100m butterfly) at the Summer Nationals, giving her 23 national titles overall, which is the most of any active swimmer. She received USA Swimming's Performance of the Year award for setting a world record in the 100m butterfly and won six gold medals at the Pan Pacific Championships, while breaking Mary T. Meagher's 18-year-old world record in the 100m butterfly. Thompson also won three gold medals at the Short Course World Championhips, breaking the world record in the 100m Individual Medley (IM) and the American record in the 100m freestyle. In addition, she broke the world record in the 100m IM and 100m freestyle at the World Cup VI. Thompson, who was named Short Course World Championships Performer of the Meet, has been a member of USA Swimming's National A Team for 13 years.
Serena Williams (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) became the first African-American woman since Althea Gibson in 1958 to win a Grand Slam singles title when she defeated Martina Hingis to win the US Open this year. Williams was the lowest-seeded player to win the US Open in the Open era (1968). She also claimed another victory at the prestigious event, winning the US Open doubles title with her older sister, Venus. Other accomplishments include helping the U.S. to the Fed Cup title, winning the French Open doubles title and moving from the WTA Tour ranking of No. 20 to her current ranking of No. 4.
1999 USOC Team of the Year Finalists:
USA Cycling's U.S. Postal Service Team is the first U.S. based team to have a Tour de France winner, Lance Armstrong. In addition to Armstrong, several other team members had major accomplishments during the year, including Tyler Hamilton who won the Tour of Denmark, Dylan Casey who earned the Pan American Games gold medal, Marty Jemison who captured the USPRO Championships and Christian Vande Velde who won the Redlands Bicycle Classic. The team consists of nine cyclists.
The U.S. Women's National Soccer Team took women's soccer to new found heights this year, winning the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup in front of a record-breaking crowd of 90,185 at the Rose Bowl. Team USA defeated China 5-4 on a fifth-shot penalty-kick shoot-out to win its second FIFA Women's World Cup. Brandi Chastain made the winning shot for the U.S. after American goalie Brianna Scurry deflected an attempt by China. Team USA posted wins over Denmark and Nigeria in front of sell out crowds, then earned victories over North Korea, Germany, Brazil and finally against China for the Cup title. Team USA played well all year, posting a final 25-2-2 record in international competition.
The U.S. Women's National Softball Team dominated its international competition, improving its unbeaten record to 29 straight games. The U.S. captured its fourth consecutive Pan American Games gold medal to boost its tournament winning streak to 42, while outscoring its opposition at the Pan Am Games 83-1. Other accomplishments include winning the Canada Cup gold medal with a record of 11-0 and winning the gold medal against second-ranked Australia at the inaugural Bank of America/U.S. Olympic Cup in San Diego.
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