U.S. Olympians Missy Franklin and Katie Ledecky are nominees for the United States Sports Academy’s female Athlete of the Year award.
The USSA, a University focused specifically on degrees in sports-related fields like sport management and sport medicine, gives the award to the most outstanding male and female athletes of the year. The nominees are announced by the selection committee and the winners determined by online vote.
Franklin received a nomination after her record-breaking 6-gold medal performance at World Championships, while Ledecky got the nod for breaking a pair of world records at the same meet.
The prestigious list of nominees includes tennis player Serena Williams, Jamaican runners Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, basketball star Lebron James, boxer Manny Pacquiao, and baseball player David Ortiz. Last year’s award-winners were Williams and Bolt.
You can cast your vote for the most outstanding athlete of the year here, on the USSA website. You can also view bios of all the nominees.
The Academy and its partner NBC sports will announce the 2013 winners on Christmas day, December 25th.