(L-R) Paralympic track & field athlete Tatyana McFadden, members of the U.S. Men's National Under-18 Ice Hockey Team and track & field athlete Meb Keflezighi earn United States Olympic Committee Athlete and Team of the Month honors for April. (Photos courtesy of Richard Wolowicz of HHOF-IIHF Images and Getty Images).
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Top performances throughout April earned Tatyana McFadden (Clarksville, Maryland) and Meb Keflezighi (San Diego, California) Athlete of the Month recognition, while the U.S. Men’s National Under-18 Ice Hockey Team received Team of the Month honors, the United States Olympic Committee announced today.
McFadden won two major marathons in an eight-day span during April. On April 13, she won the London Marathon women’s wheelchair race in a course-record time of 1:45.12. One week later, she won the Boston Marathon with a time of 1:35.06. The wins marked the second consecutive titles for McFadden in both events.
Keflezighi became the first American man to win the Boston Marathon since 1983 on April 21. He crossed the finish line in a personal-best time of 2:08.37. Competing just three weeks shy of his 39th birthday, he also became the oldest man to win the Boston Marathon since 1931.
The U.S. captured its eighth gold medal at the IIHF Men’s Under-18 World Championship, held April 17-27 in Lappeenranta, Finland. The U.S. finished the tournament with an overall record of 6-0-0-1 and posted two shutouts en route to the gold medal. The victory marked Team USA’s fifth tournament title in the last six years and its 11th consecutive top-three finish in the tournament.
Beach Volleyball athlete Kerri Walsh Jennings (Saratoga, California) finished runner-up and gymnast Elizabeth Price (Coopersburg, Pennsylvania) claimed third in the female vote. On the men’s side, Paralympic track & field athlete David Brown (St. Louis, Missouri) and gymnast John Orozco (Bronx, New York) earned second and third place. The volleyball team of Walsh Jennings and April Ross finished second, while the tennis team of Bob and Mike Bryan finished third in the team category.
Each National Governing Body may nominate one female, one male and one team per discipline. A voting panel selects the winners from the pool of nominees with online fan voting via Twitter accounting for 10 percent of the total vote.
FEMALE
1. Tatyana McFadden, Para-Track & Field
2. Kerri Walsh Jennings, Volleyball
3. Elizabeth Price, Gymnastics
MALE
1. Meb Keflezighi, Track & Field
2. David Brown, Para-Track & Field
3. John Orozco, Gymnastics
TEAM
1. U.S. Men’s National Under-18 Team, Ice Hockey
2. Kerri Walsh Jennings and April Ross, Beach Volleyball
3. Bob and Mike Bryan, Tennis
