Staci Mannella (L), Jamie Stanton (R) and the women's volleyball team (C) earned Best of January honors for the Team USA Awards presented by Dow.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Outstanding performances during the month of January earned alpine skiers Staci Mannella and Jamie Stanton, and the U.S. women’s volleyball team Best of January honors for the Team USA Awards presented by Dow, the United States Olympic Committee announced today.
Mannella (Randolph, New Jersey) claimed four medals in two events and became the first and youngest U.S. alpine skier (age 19) to capture a medal for Team USA in the 2016 IPC Alpine Skiing World Cup season opener, winning gold in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia. She added three more medals in the women’s visually impaired class – including two golds – at world cups in Tarvisio, Italy, and St. Moritz, Switzerland, contributing to a 34-medal haul for Team USA throughout the month.
Stanton (Clinton Township, Michigan) won three IPC Alpine Skiing World Cup medals – two silvers and one bronze – in men’s standing slalom at competitions in Tarvisio, Italy, and St. Moritz, Switzerland over a span of six days. His three podium appearances helped Team USA to a 34-medal haul in the month of January.
The U.S. women’s volleyball team qualified for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games by winning the four-team NORCECA Olympic Qualification Tournament in Lincoln, Nebraska. The tournament gold medal marked the U.S.’s sixth title in the last seven tournaments dating back to the 2014 FIVB World Championship, as well as Team USA’s ninth consecutive Olympic qualification.
Each National Governing Body may nominate one female, one male and one team per discipline. An internal nominating committee selects five nominees from both the male and female categories, and three from the team category to advance to the voting round. Votes received from NGB representatives and select members of the media account for 50 percent of the final tally, with the other half determined by online fan voting via TeamUSA.org/Awards.
In addition to Dow, the presenting sponsor, the Team USA Awards are supported by Coca-Cola, DICK’S Sporting Goods, Kellogg’s, Samsung and USG.
