Nominees for 2018 ESPYS Announced

ESPN has announced the nominees for the 2018 ESPYS. Fans can vote now at ESPYS.com through the start of the broadcast. The ESPYS air Wednesday July 18, 2018 at 8ET on ABC.

BEST MALE ATHLETE

Jose Altuve, Houston Astros

2017 AL MVP
Helped the Astros win their first World Series in franchise history
Led the MLB with a .346 batting average and led the AL with 204 hits

James Harden, Houston Rockets

Led the Rockets to 60 regular-season wins and a No. 1 seed for the first time in franchise history
Won his first scoring title, averaging 30.4 points per game
Finalist for NBA MVP

Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals

Stanley Cup Playoffs MVP
Helped the Washington Capitals win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history
Led the NHL in goals for the seventh time in his career

Tom Brady, New England Patriots

Named NFL MVP for the third time in his career
Set a new NFL record with his 187th career regular-season win passing Peyton Manning and Brett Favre
Set a Super Bowl record for most passing yards (505)

BEST FEMALE ATHLETE

Sylvia Fowles, Minnesota Lynx

Led the Lynx to their fourth WNBA title in seven years, which tied the record for most titles by a single franchise
Won both the regular season MVP and the Finals MVP

Mikaela Shiffrin, Ski

Took home gold in giant slalom and silver in super combined at the Winter Olympics
Captured the women’s World Cup overall title for the second-straight year

Chloe Kim, Snowboard

At 17, she became was the youngest woman to ever win Olympic gold in the halfpipe after recording a near perfect score
Took home gold in superpipe at X Games Aspen 2018

Julie Ertz, Chicago Red Stars/United States Women’s National Soccer Team

Named 2017 U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year
After shifting to defensive midfielder, Ertz proved impactful on both sides of the ball, finishing second in goals scored (6) in Team USA international play

BEST OLYMPIC MOMENT

Shaun White, Snowboard

After failing to medal at Sochi, Shaun White came to PyeongChang with redemption on his mind. After disappointing scores in his first two runs, White went into his third and final run needing a big performance. He did just that, hitting back-to-back 1440s — a feat he had never accomplished before in a live run — to take home gold.

Jessie Diggins & Kikkan Randall, U.S. Cross Country Ski

Women’s cross-country skiing debuted at the Olympic Winter Games in 1952. It would take nearly 70 years for Team USA to medal in the event. But when Jessie Diggins came from behind to cross the finish line just 0.19 seconds ahead of her Swedish opponent, Diggins and teammate Kikkan Randall celebrated more than the end of a drought. They celebrated a hard-earned gold.

U.S. Men’s Curling

After struggling through round-robin play, Team USA was 2-4 and eyeing an early exit. But with their backs against the wall, John Shuster’s squad proceeded to rattle off five-straight wins, culminating in a championship victory over Sweden that secured USA’s first-ever curling gold medal.

USA Women’s Hockey defeats Canada, 2018 Winter Olympics

USA defeated Canada 3-2 in a shootout to win gold for the first time in 20 years
The game inverted the gold medal showdown of Sochi, which Canada won in OT
After a scoreless overtime, Team USA triumphed in the shootout after a circus goal from Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson and a win-clinching save from Maddie Rooney.

BEST CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE

George Springer, Houston Astros – MLB World Series

Named World Series MVP after leading the Astros to a franchise-first World Series title
Hit a record-tying five home runs in the World Series best
First player in history to homer in four-straight games during a single Fall Classic

Nick Foles, Philadelphia Eagles – Super Bowl LII

Named Super Bowl LII MVP after leading the Philadelphia Eagles to their first Super Bowl title
Completed 28 of 43 passes for 373 yards and 3 passing touchdowns
Became the first player to both throw and catch a touchdown pass in a Super Bowl

Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors – NBA Finals

Named NBA Finals MVP after the Warriors clinched their second-straight championship in a four-game sweep of the Cavaliers
Averaged 28.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 7.5 assists in the series
Scored 43 points on the road in game 3

Donte DiVincenzo, Villanova Men’s Basketball – CBB National Championship

Named NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player after a 31-point outing in title game
His 31-point explosion was the most ever scored by a bench player in the title game

BEST BREAKTHROUGH ATHLETE

Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints

2017 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year
His 826 receiving yards led all running backs, and his 6.1 yards per carry led all running backs with at least 120 rushes
14 total touchdowns

Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers

Led all rookies in rebounding, assists, and steals
Finalist for NBA Rookie of the Year
Joined Oscar Robertson as the only other rookie in NBA history to average at least 15.0 points, 8.0 assists and 8.0 rebounds per game.

Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz

Finalist for NBA Rookie of the Year
Set the NBA rookie record for three-pointers made (187)
Passed Michael Jordan for most points by a rookie guard in his first two playoff games (55) to lead Utah over Oklahoma City

Sloane Stephens, Tennis

Won 2017 US Open, becoming only the fifth unseeded woman to win a Grand Slam in the Open Era
Won the 2018 Miami Open
2018 French Open runner up

BEST GAME

Houston Astros defeat Los Angeles Dodgers, World Series Game 5

Houston defeated Los Angeles 13-12 in 10 innings to take a 3-2 series lead
The Astros became only the second team to ever come back from two different three-run deficits in a single World Series game
At five hours and seventeen minutes, it was the second longest World Series game in history

Georgia Bulldogs defeat Oklahoma Sooners, Rose Bowl

Georgia overcame a 17-point deficit to defeat the Oklahoma Sooners 54-48 in double overtime.
The largest comeback in Rose Bowl history
The first Rose Bowl to ever go into overtime

USA Women’s Hockey defeats Canada, 2018 Winter Olympics

USA defeated Canada 3-2 in a shootout to win gold for the first time in 20 years
After a scoreless overtime, Team USA triumphed in the shootout after a circus goal from Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson and a win-clinching save from Maddie Rooney.
The game inverted the gold medal showdown of Sochi, which Canada won in OT

BEST MOMENT

Minnesota Vikings defeat the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Championship Game

“The Minnesota Miracle”: the trailing Minnesota Vikings stunned the New Orleans Saints with an inexplicable Stefon Diggs touchdown on the last play of the game Notre Dame defeats Mississippi State to win the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament
After coming back from a 15-point deficit, the largest overcome by any team in a title game, Notre Dame captured the championship with a second-straight game-winning shot from Arike Ogunbowale.

Las Vegas Golden Knights defeat Winnipeg Jets to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals

The Knights’ 2-1 win over the Jets in game 5 of the Western Conference final was the culmination of this first-year expansion team’s unlikely playoff run
The Knights were the only team in 50 years to advance to a final in their first year

#16 University of Maryland-Baltimore County upsets No. 1 Virginia

UMBC stunned No. 1 Virginia in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament becoming the first time in the history of the NCAA Men’s tournament to defeat a No. 1 seed
Previous 16 seeds were 0-135 against No. 1 seeds

BEST TEAM

Houston Astros, MLB

Won the World Series for the first time in franchise history
Finished the regular season with a 101–61 record and a 21-game lead in their division

Philadelphia Eagles, NFL

Defeated the New England Patriots for their first Super Bowl win in franchise history
Finished the regular season 13–3, tying their 2004 season for the highest winning percentage in franchise history
Considered an underdog through much of the playoffs due to the absence of their starting quarterback

USA Women’s Ice Hockey

USA defeated Canada 3-2 in a shootout to win Gold for the first time in 20 years
Returned the favor to Canada, who had beaten them in overtime in 2014.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish, NCAA Women’s Basketball

Won the national title in a comeback victory over Mississippi State
Weathered the loss of four players to capture their program’s second championship

Villanova Wildcats, NCAA Men’s Basketball

Earned their third national championship in a decisive win over Michigan
The team finished the season with a 36–4 record and the most wins in Villanova history

Golden State Warriors, NBA

Captured their third NBA title in four years
Defeated the Cavaliers in just four games — the first NBA Finals sweep since 2007

Washington Capitals, NHL

Defeated the Vegas Golden Knights in five games to win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history
Delivered Washington D.C. its first major sport title since 1992

BEST COLLEGE ATHLETE

Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma Football

2017 Heisman Trophy Winner
Threw for 4,340 yards, with 41 touchdowns and just 5 interceptions
Led the Sooners to a 12-1 record and a berth in the College Football Playoff

Jalen Brunson, Villanova Basketball

2018 Wooden Award Winner — the first Villanova player to earn the honor
Helped Villanova capture its third national championship
Averaged 19.1 points and 4.7 assists

Katie Ledecky, Stanford Swimming

Won the 500 and 1650-yard freestyle events by record margins and anchored the winning 800-yard freestyle relay team
Helped Stanford to two consecutive NCAA titles

A’ja Wilson, South Carolina Basketball

2018 Wooden Award Winner
Wilson averaged 22.6 points and 11.8 rebounds, with 105 total blocked shots
Her Gamecocks went 29-7, winning the SEC tournament championship and advancing to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament

BEST PLAY (Bracket-style voting)

ND’s Arike Ogunbowale hits 2nd buzzer beater to win NCAA women’s national title
Minnesota Miracle: Stefon Diggs makes last-second TD Catch to send Vikings to NFC championship
Philly Special: Eagles fool Patriots with fourth-down TD toss to Foles
Alabama wins national title on 41-yard OT TD pass from Tua Tagovailoa to Devonta Smith
FSU’s Jessie Warren makes diving double play in WCWS
LeBron James nails buzzer beater 3-pointer to beat the Pacers in Game 5 of Round 1
Evanston Township High school freshman Blake Peters hits 80-foot buzzer beater
Gareth Bale scores go-ahead bicycle kick goal in Champions League Final 1022
Cristiano Ronaldo scores bicycle kick goal against Juventus
Julian McGarvey makes last-second steal & heave to secure Ardsley High School’s 1st Section 1 title in 60 years
LeBron floats a glass-kissing buzzer beater to beat Raptors in game 3 of round 2
Team USA’s Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson scores the shootout winner to secure gold medal in women’s hockey
Giannis Antetokounmpo leapfrog dunks on Tim Hardaway Jr
Acrobatic volleyball play from Autumn Finney out of Decatur High School
Golden Knights’ William Karlsson goes through legs for ‘goal of the year’ contender
Jordan Poole hits buzzer-beater to send Michigan to the Sweet 16s

BEST RECORD-BREAKING PERFORMANCE

Roger Federer, Tennis

Won his 8th Wimbledon title to pass Pete Sampras’ record of 7

Aaron Judge, New York Yankees

Set new MLB rookie record with 52 HRs, surpassing Mark McGwire’s 50-HR rookie campaign

Tom Brady, New England Patriots

Set new NFL record with his 187th regular-season win, passing Peyton Manning and Brett Favre for most career regular-season victory

Diana Taurasi, Phoenix Mercury

Became first WNBA player to hit 1,000 career 3-pointers

BEST INTERNATIONAL MEN’S SOCCER PLAYER

Lionel Messi, FC Barcelona/Argentina National Team

Led FC Barcelona to the 2017-2018 Spanish league title
Scored 45 goals in 54 appearances for FC Barcelona this season
Secured Argentina’s World Cup qualification with a hat trick against Ecuador

Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid/Portuguese National Team

Led Real Madrid to a historic 3-peat in the Champions League
Scored 44 goals in 44 appearance for Real Madrid in 2017-2018 season
Won his 5th Ballon d’Or in 2017

Mohamed Salah, Liverpool/Egyptian National Team

Won English Premier League Golden Boot for 32-goal season
Scored 44 goals in 52 total games, leading Liverpool to Champions League Final
Helped Egypt qualify for their first World Cup since 1990

Neymar Jr., PSG/Brazilian National Team

Ligue 1 2017-2018 Player of the Year
Led PSG to Ligue 1 2017-2018 title

BEST INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S SOCCER PLAYER

Lieke Martens, FC Barcelona/Netherlands National Team

MVP of Euro 2017
Led Netherlands to their first-ever Euro title
Named Best FIFA Women’s Player of 2017

Sam Kerr, Chicago Red Stars/Australian National Team

Became the all-time leading scorer in NWSL history
The top goalscorer in the inaugural Tournament of Nations

Pernille Harder, VfL Wolfsburg/Danish National Team

Member of the 2017 UEFA Women’s Champions League Squad of the Season
Member of the UEFA Women’s European Championship All-Star Team
As a captain, led Denmark to their first-ever UEFA Women’s Euro final

Jodie Taylor, Seattle Reign/English National Team

Won the “Golden Shoe” award as top goal scorer of Euro 2017 with 5 goals in 4 games
Became first Englishwoman to score a hattrick in a major soccer tournament

BEST NFL PLAYER

Tom Brady, New England Patriots

Named NFL MVP for the third time in his career
Set a new NFL record with his 187th career regular-season win
Set a Super Bowl record for most passing yards (505)

Todd Gurley, Los Angeles Rams

2017 NFL Offensive Player of the Year
Led the NFL with 19 rushing/receiving touchdowns and 2,093 yards from scrimmage

Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers

Led the league in receiving yards (1,533) for the second time in his career
First Team All-Pro, named to his sixth Pro Bowl

Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams

2017 NFL Defensive Player of the Year
Donald was named to his fourth-straight Pro Bowl and third-straight All-Pro First Team
Finished the 2017 season with 41 tackles, 11 sacks, and five forced fumbles

BEST MLB PLAYER

Aaron Judge, New York Yankees

2017 AL Rookie of the Year and runner-up for AL MVP
Set an MLB rookie HR record (52)
Led the AL in runs scored (128), home runs (52), and walks (127)

Jose Altuve, Houston Astros

2017 AL MVP
Helped the Astros win their first World Series in franchise history
Led the MLB with a .346 batting average and led the AL with 204 hits

Mike Trout, LA Angels

Led the AL in OBP (.442), SLG (.629), OPS (1.071)
Seventh player in history to reach 200 or more home runs before the end of his age-25 season

Max Scherzer, Washington Nationals

Went 16-6 with a 2.51 ERA over 200 2/3 innings
Led the league in strikeouts (268), WHIP (0.90) and hits allowed per nine innings (5.7)
Won his third Cy Young Award, just tenth pitcher in history to win at least three

BEST NHL PLAYER

Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals

Stanley Cup Playoffs MVP (Conn Smythe)
Helped the Washington Capitals win their first championship in franchise history
Led the NHL in goals for the seventh time in his career

Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins

Finished the season with 29 goals and 60 assists for 89 total points
Recorded his 400th goal and 700th assist in 2018

Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers

Led the league in points (108) to win his second-consecutive Art Ross Trophy
Recorded the third-most assists (67) and scored the sixth-most goals (41)

Marc-Andre Fleury, Las Vegas Golden Knights

Went 12-3 in the first three rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, helping Vegas become the first expansion team since the 1967-68 St. Louis Blues to advance to the Cup Final
Delivered a league-best 4 shutouts during the Stanley Cup Playoffs

BEST DRIVER

Josef Newgarden, IndyCar

Won 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series Championship in his first season with Team Penske
Won a career-best four races in 2017

Martin Truex Jr, NASCAR

2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Champion
Won a commanding 8 races on his way to the title

Lewis Hamilton, Formula One

Captured his fourth Formula One title in 2017
Most successful British driver in F1 history

Brittany Force, NHRA

Won the 2017 NHRA Top Fuel Championship
Just the second woman to ever win the Top Fuel title
Raced to a career-best four victories

BEST NBA PLAYER

James Harden, Houston Rockets

Led the Rockets to 60 regular-season wins and a No. 1 seed for the first time in franchise history
Won his first scoring title, averaging 30.4 points per game
Finalist for NBA MVP

LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers

Became the first player in NBA history to reach 30,000 points, 8,000 rebounds and 8,000 assists
Reached the NBA Finals for the eighth-straight year
Finalist for NBA MVP

Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans

All-Defensive First Team and All-NBA First Team
Finalist for NBA MVP and NBA Defensive Player of the Year

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

Fourth in the NBA in scoring (26.9)
Shot a career-high 52.9 percent from the field

BEST WNBA PLAYER

Maya Moore, Minnesota Lynx

2017 All-WNBA First Team
Helped guide the Lynx to the #1 seed in the league with a 27–7 record
Averaged 18.3 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists in the playoffs en route to fourth WNBA Championship title in seven years

Candace Parker, Los Angeles Sparks

2017 All-WNBA First Team
Led the Sparks to the No. 2 seed and a 26-8 record
Set the record for most steals in a finals game (5)

Sylvia Fowles, Minnesota Lynx

Won both the regular season MVP and the Finals MVP
Led the Lynx to their fourth WNBA title in seven years

Skylar Diggins-Smith, Dallas Wings

2017 All-WNBA First Team
Averaged 18.5 ppg as well as a career-high in assists (5.8) and rebounds (3.5)

BEST FIGHTER

Terence Crawford, Boxing

Became the undisputed champion at light welterweight after knocking out Julius Indongo
Became boxing’s latest three-division champion with a ninth-round TKO of Jeff Horn
ESPN’s 2017 Fighter of the Year

Vasiliy (Vasyl) Lomachenko, Boxing

Defeated Jorge Linares (44-4) in the 10th round of a lightweight title bout
Fastest fighter ever to win titles in 3 different weight classes

Rose Namajunas, UFC

Upset an undefeated Joanna Jedrzejczyk in the first round to win the Strawweight belt. Jedrzejczyk closed as a favorite of more than 8-1
Defeated Jedrzejczyk again in her first title defense

Georges St-Pierre, UFC

- Returned to the UFC in 2017 defeating Michael Bisping to win the middleweight title, fourth fighter in the history of the UFC to be a multi-division champion

BEST MALE GOLFER

Jordan Spieth

Won his third major at the 2017 Open Championship

Justin Thomas

Won 2017 PGA Championship
PGA Tour Player of the Year
Won the 2017 FedEx Cup Championship

Dustin Johnson

Won the 2018 Sentry Tournament of Champions
Third player in Tour history to win a Tour title in each of his first 11 seasons

Patrick Reed

Won the 2018 Masters
Tied for 2nd at the 2017 PGA Championship

BEST FEMALE GOLFER

Shanshan Feng

Recorded her first three-win season in 2017, including a title defense at the TOTO Japan Classic and a win the next week at the Blue Bay LPGA
Became the first player from China, male or female, to become No. 1 in the world

Inbee Park

Won the Bank of Hope Founders Cup, marking the third time a South Korean player has won the competition that was created in 2011
Park finished as a runner-up at the ANA Inspiration

Ariya Jutanugarn

Won the 2018 US Women’s Open Championship

Sung-Hyun Park

Named 2017 LPGA Player of the Year & Rookie of the Year
Won the 2017 US Women’s Open Championship

BEST MALE OLYMPIAN

Shaun White, Snowboarding

Won his third Olympic gold medal for the men’s halfpipe event with a score of 97.75

Red Gerard, Snowboarding

Won Gold in slopestyle

David Wise, Halfpipe Skiing

Defended his Olympic gold in men’s halfpipe with a score of 97.20

John Shuster, Curling

Led team USA to gold at the 2018 Winter Olympics, the first American team to ever win gold in curling
In the 8th end, Shuster executed a double takeout to secure victory

BEST FEMALE OLYMPIAN

Chloe Kim, Snowboarding

At 17, she became was the youngest woman to ever win Olympic gold in the halfpipe after recording a near perfect score

Mikaela Shiffrin, Skiing

gold in giant slalom
silver in the super combined

Jamie Anderson, Snowboarding

Won her second Olympic gold medal in slopestyle, as well a silver in big air
First female snowboarder to win more than one Olympic gold medal

Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson, US Women’s Hockey

Helped secure a gold medal for Team USA with her stunning shootout goal

BEST MALE TENNIS PLAYER

Roger Federer

Won his 8th Wimbledon title, surpassing Pete Sampras’ record of 7
Won 2018 Australian Open
Became the first man to win twenty Grand Slam titles

Rafael Nadal

Won 2017 US Open
Won the 2018 French Open

Marin Cilic

Runner-up at 2017 Wimbledon
Runner-up at the 2018 Australian Open

BEST FEMALE TENNIS PLAYER

Sloane Stephens

Won the 2017 US Open
Won the 2018 Miami Open
2018 French Open runner-up

Caroline Wozniacki

Finished 2017 with two WTA titles at WTA Finals Singapore and the Pan Pacific Open
Won her first major title at the 2018 Australian Open

Simona Halep

Won the 2018 French Open

Garbine Muguruza

Won 2017 Wimbledon,
French Open semi-finalist
Ranked #4 in the world

BEST MALE ACTION SPORTS ATHLETE

Henrik Harlaut (SWE), Ski

Took double gold at Aspen 2018, adding his first slopestyle title to his big air crown
Harlaut has the most XG Ski big air gold in history and the most gold of any male skier in a single discipline

Kelvin Hoefler (BRA), Skateboard

Took home the gold medal at X Games Minneapolis 2017 and followed up with another gold medal at X Games Norway 2018

David Wise (USA), Ski

Took home gold with a career-best score of 97.20 to defend his Olympic title in men’s halfpipe
Took home another gold in superpipe at X Games Aspen 2018

Marcus Kleveland (NOR), Snowboard

First ever to complete a quad cork 1800 in competition
Won gold in slopestyle and silver in big air at his Winter X Games debut in 2017
Took home gold in slopestyle and silver in Big Air at X Games Aspen 2018

BEST FEMALE ACTION SPORTS ATHLETE

Chloe Kim (USA), Snowboard

At 17, she became was the youngest woman to ever win Olympic gold in the halfpipe after recording a near perfect score
Took home gold in superpipe at X Games Aspen 2018

Jamie Anderson (USA), Snowboard

Won her second Olympic gold medal and won a silver in the big air event
First female snowboarder to win more than one Olympic gold medal
Took home gold in slopestyle and bronze in Big Air at X Games Aspen 2018

Brighton Zeuner (USA), Skateboard

Became the youngest (13) X Games gold medalist at X Games Minneapolis 2017
Came in 2nd at the Vans Park Series in 2017

Stephanie Gilmore (AUS). Surf

Won her fifth Roxy Pro title on the WSL Championship Tour
Won the Maui Pro Women’s title

BEST JOCKEY

Mike Smith

13th Triple Crown Winner with wins at the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes
14th winner of the Laffit Pincay Jr. Award

Jose Ortiz

Leading rider at Belmont Park’s spring-summer meet and at Saratoga Race Course
Voted the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey

Florent Geroux

Won the Breeders’ Cup Classic and four other stakes race, plus a second-place finish in the Dubai World Cup
Started his 2018 season with a win aboard Gun Runner in the $16 million Pegasus World Cup

Flavien Prat

Prat secured his second victory at the Breeder’s Cup World Championships when he guided Battle of Midway to a win in the Las Vegas Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile

BEST MALE ATHLETE WITH A DISABILITY

Dan Cnossen, Nordic Skiing

Medaled in every cross-country and biathlon event he entered.
Winning one gold, four silver and one bronze medals, Cnossen also made history as the first U.S. man to win biathlon gold in the Olympic or Paralympic Games.

Andrew Kurka, Alpine Skiing

Won gold in the downhill and silver in the super-G in the men’s sitting classification
Finished seventh in the super combined.
First U.S. man to win a gold medal in alpine skiing since 2006

Declan Farmer, Sled Hockey

Scored in the final minute and in overtime to lead Team USA to win gold in on overtime 2-1 victory over Canada to claim their third consecutive gold medal at the Paralympic Winter Games

Mike Schultz, Snowboarding

Won gold in the men’s LL1 snowboard-cross.
Won silver in the banked slalom

BEST FEMALE ATHLETE WITH A DISABILITY

Oksana Masters, Nordic Skiing

Won five medals (two gold, two silver and one bronze) in biathlon and crosscountry competition
Most decorated athlete on the team and in the history of the Para Nordic program

Brenna Huckaby, Snowboarding

Swept the women’s LL1 snowboarding competition, taking gold in both snowboard-cross and banked slalom.
Only U.S. athlete to go undefeated in individual competition at the Paralympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018

Kendall Gretsch, Nordic Skiing

Won gold in the women’s sitting biathlon sprint to become the first American to win a biathlon gold at the Olympic or Paralympic Games.
Claimed gold in the 12-kilometer cross-country competition and picked up four top-10 finishes

Tatyana McFadden, Track and Field

Swept gold medals in all four of her events – including the T54 200-, 400-, 800- and 1,500-meter – to tie for the most medals of any athlete at the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships in London
Improved her record to 22 world major marathon series victories with wins in Chicago in 2017 and Boston in 2018

BEST BOWLER

Jason Belmonte

Belmonte won the PBA National Championship in Reno, NV for his 16th title and ninth career major.
First PBA player to ever win three major titles in a season
Belmonte won with his fourth PBA Player of the Year Award

Rhino Page

Won the 2017 U.S. Open for his sixth title and first major championship

Tom Smallwood

Won his third PBA title and second major at the Barbasol PBA Players Championship
Smallwood climbed from the #5 seed in the TV finals, eventually defeating top seed Jason Belmonte in the final match

Jesper Svensson

Svensson won his seventh PBA Tour title in the PBA Cheetah Championship

BEST MLS PLAYER

Nemanja Nikolić, Chicago Fire

Named the 2017 MLS Golden Boot Winner with goals (24) and assists (4)
Finalist for Newcomer of the Year and Landon Donovan MLS MVP

Diego Valeri, Portland Timbers

2017 Landon Donovan MLS MVP after recording goals (21) and assists (11) in league play

Ike Opara, Sporting Kansas City

2017 MLS Defender of the Year
Anchored a defense that conceded just 29 goals during the 2017 regular season
Set MLS career-highs with 30 starts and 2,700 minutes played, contributed to 11 shutouts and helped Sporting KC reach the MLS Cup Playoffs for the seventh straight year.

Tim Melia, Sporting Kansas City

2017 MLS Goalie of the Year; Melia posted MLS career-highs in wins (12), shutouts (10), saves (91), starts (31) and minutes (2,759)
Led MLS with a 0.78 goals against average, 78.4 save percentage and 69.2- percent passing accuracy

BEST NWSL PLAYER

Sam Kerr, Chicago Red Stars

Set a new NWSL record when she scored 4 goals in a single game
Won the NWSL Golden Boot and MVP award after finishing the 2017 season with a record-breaking 17 goals

Megan Rapinoe, Seattle Reign

Recorded 12 goals in 2017
Finalist for NWSL MVP

Sam Mewis

Nominated for MVP in both the NWSL and US Soccer Player of the Year

Adrianna Franch, Portland Thorns

Named NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year
Set a regular-season record in shutouts (11)
Helped the Thorns win the NWSL Championship in a 1-0 shutout over the North Carolina Courage