AAU James E. Sullivan Award Presented by Eastbay to be Announced Virtually on Wednesday, April 29

Image via AAU | For the first time in its 90-year history, the AAU James E. Sullivan Award will be presented virtually.

ORLANDO, Fla. (April 22, 2020) - The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) announced today that the ceremony for the 90th AAU James E. Sullivan Award presented by Eastbay – originally scheduled to be held at the historic New York Athletic Club – will now take place virtually due to safety concerns related to COVID-19.
 
The announcement of the winner of the 90th AAU James E. Sullivan Award will take place the night of Wednesday, April 29 starting at 8 p.m. ET on SportsStoriespodcast.com. Each athlete will have the opportunity to participate in a one-on-one interview with Sport Stories’ host, Denny Lennon, before the winner is presented live on the podcast.
 
The finalists for the title of the top amateur athlete of the year are as follows: Evita Griskenas (rhythmic gymnastics), Grant Holloway (track and field), Markus Howard (men’s basketball), Sabrina Ionescu (women’s basketball), Trevor Lawrence (football), Spencer Lee (wrestling), Dana Rettke (women’s volleyball), Kyla Ross (gymnastics), Megan Taylor (women’s lacrosse) and Abbey Weitzeil (women’s swimming).
 
“We recognize the challenging times that we are living in, but we are looking forward to the collaboration with Sports Stories with Denny Lennon to present this prestigious award and to give hope to young athletes everywhere,” said AAU President and CEO Dr. Roger J. Goudy. “The AAU’s mission is to provide a venue for amateur athletes to promote good sportsmanship and good citizen no matter if they are on the court or not and in this unprecedented time that mission is now more important than ever.”
 
Denny Lennon, a longtime AAU member, is the host of “Sports Stories with Denny Lennon” (SSDL) video podcast episodes.  SSDL has interviewed sport greats such as WBA Lightweight World Champion Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini, AAU President/CEO Dr. Roger J. Goudy, Emmy Award winning Los Angeles Lakers broadcaster Chris “Geeter” McGee and USOC/FIFA Medical Advisor Bert Mandelbaum. The video and audio podcasts can be streamed via YouTube, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio and Spotify. Lennon also produces Facebook Live Shows, which is where the 90th AAU James E. Sullivan Award can be viewed: Facebook.com/SportsStoriesPodcast.
 
The AAU James E. Sullivan Award presented by Eastbay has been presented annually since 1930 to the most outstanding amateur athlete in the United States. Representatives from the AAU created the AAU Sullivan Award with the intent to recognize amateur contributions and achievements from non-professional athletes across the country, 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).
 
 
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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 | Instagram: @AAUSports | Twitter: @TheRealAAU | YouTube: youtube.com/TheRealAAUvideo | Facebook: facebook.com/realAAU
 
ABOUT EASTBAY:
Since 1980, Eastbay has been dedicated to providing high school athletes with the footwear, apparel, and equipment they need to take their game to the next level. As part of Foot Locker, Inc. (NYSE:FL), Eastbay is focused on serving athletes who know what it takes to win, both on and off the field, through its direct mail catalog and eastbay.com. Through product selection, insider knowledge, and a range of athletes and experts, Eastbay delivers the tools athletes need to win their style of play and post-game looks.
 
Additional information may be found at eastbay.com | Instagram: @officialeastbay | Twitter: @eastbay | YouTube: youtube.com/eastbay | Blog: blog.eastbay.com | Facebook: facebook.com/eastbay | App: iOS and Android

Thirty-three Amateur Athletes Selected as Semifinalists Voting for the AAU James E. Sullivan Award opens

Image via AAU

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