Northwestern University Athletics
Wilimovsky Named Semi-Finalist for AAU James E. Sullivan Award
3/8/2016 10:53:00 AM | Men's Swimming and Diving
EVANSTON, Ill. — Jordan Wilimovsky, who is taking an Olympic redshirt while qualifying for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, is one of the 16 semifinalists for the AAU James E. Sullivan Award, it was announced Monday.
The award has been given annually since 1930 to the most outstanding amateur athlete in the United States. Wilimovsky has the chance to be the 11th swimmer to win the award and the first since Missy Franklin in 2002.
"The AAU James E. Sullivan Award is a one-of-a-kind honor for all of our semi-finalists," said Melissa Willis, the AAU Sullivan Award National Chair. "It is remarkably unique in that it allows us the opportunity to recognize the most elite amateur athletes across every sport imaginable."
Wilimovsky notched a berth to the Olympics at the 2015 FINA World Championships, pulling away late to win the world title by 12 seconds — the first American victory in the men's 10K since 2005. In addition to training for the Olympics, Wilimovsky has been volunteering at the Santa Monica Swim Club, conducting swimming clinics with both young age-group swimmers and masters-age swimmers.
In the 2014-15 season, Wilimovsky was the Big Ten Champion in the 1,650 free. During his junior campaign, he also broke school records in the 500, 1,000, and 1,650 free races. He also finished in third at the NCAA Championships.
He joins Derrick Henry (Alabama football), Deshaun Watson (Clemson football), Christian McCaffrey (Stanford football), Keenan Reynolds (Navy football), Ben Simmons (LSU basketball), Nirra Fields (UCLA basketball), Kelsey Minato (Army basketball), Breanna Stewart (UCONN basketball), Mikaela Foecke (Nebraska volleyball), Ashleigh Johnson (USA Water Polo), Jordan Burroughs (USA Wrestling), Adeline Gray (USA Wrestling), Jamie Greubel Poser (USA Bobsled), Andrew Benintendi (Arkansas baseball), Brittany Bowe (USA Speed Skating) and Simone Biles (USA Gymnastics) as semi-finalists for the award.
Voting for the semi-finalists is open to the public and closes on March 14. Finalists will be named on March 17.
The award has been given annually since 1930 to the most outstanding amateur athlete in the United States. Wilimovsky has the chance to be the 11th swimmer to win the award and the first since Missy Franklin in 2002.
"The AAU James E. Sullivan Award is a one-of-a-kind honor for all of our semi-finalists," said Melissa Willis, the AAU Sullivan Award National Chair. "It is remarkably unique in that it allows us the opportunity to recognize the most elite amateur athletes across every sport imaginable."
Wilimovsky notched a berth to the Olympics at the 2015 FINA World Championships, pulling away late to win the world title by 12 seconds — the first American victory in the men's 10K since 2005. In addition to training for the Olympics, Wilimovsky has been volunteering at the Santa Monica Swim Club, conducting swimming clinics with both young age-group swimmers and masters-age swimmers.
In the 2014-15 season, Wilimovsky was the Big Ten Champion in the 1,650 free. During his junior campaign, he also broke school records in the 500, 1,000, and 1,650 free races. He also finished in third at the NCAA Championships.
He joins Derrick Henry (Alabama football), Deshaun Watson (Clemson football), Christian McCaffrey (Stanford football), Keenan Reynolds (Navy football), Ben Simmons (LSU basketball), Nirra Fields (UCLA basketball), Kelsey Minato (Army basketball), Breanna Stewart (UCONN basketball), Mikaela Foecke (Nebraska volleyball), Ashleigh Johnson (USA Water Polo), Jordan Burroughs (USA Wrestling), Adeline Gray (USA Wrestling), Jamie Greubel Poser (USA Bobsled), Andrew Benintendi (Arkansas baseball), Brittany Bowe (USA Speed Skating) and Simone Biles (USA Gymnastics) as semi-finalists for the award.
Voting for the semi-finalists is open to the public and closes on March 14. Finalists will be named on March 17.
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