COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The United States Olympic Committee today announced finalists for the Team USA Awards presented by Dow, Best of December, which recognize the outstanding achievements of Team USA athletes from last month. Fans are invited to vote for their favorite athletes and teams at TeamUSA.org/Awards through midnight Tuesday, Jan. 8.

A total of 10 sports – including alpine skiing, bowling, figure skating, freestyle skiing, long track speedskating, Para Nordic skiing, rugby, sled hockey, swimming and taekwondo – are represented among the 13 finalists across men’s, women’s and team categories. The finalists’ collective accomplishments tell the inspiring story of U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes year-round. 

Brittany Bowe, Long Track Speedskating
Earned six medals – two golds, one silver and three bronzes – at the world cup events in Tomaszów Mazowiecki, Poland, and Heerenveen, Netherlands, setting a new lowland world record in the 1,000-meter. Click here to vote for Bowe.

Madelynn Gorman-Shore, TaekwondoWon the silver medal at the grand slam in Wuxi, China, defeating U.S. teammate and Olympian Jackie Galloway, as well as Great Britain’s Rebecca McGowan en route to the finals. Click here to vote for Gorman-Shore.

Kendall Gretsch, Para Nordic Skiing Secured four medals at the world cup in Vuokatti, Finland, placing first in the middle-distance biathlon, biathlon sprint and biathlon pursuit. Click here to vote for Gretsch.

Mikaela Shiffrin, Alpine Skiing 
Won six world cup races across four different disciplines, becoming the first athlete in the history of the sport – male or female – to win in all six alpine disciplines. Click here to vote for Shiffrin.

Olivia Smoliga, Swimming Earned a meet-best eight gold medals at the short course world championships in Hangzhou, China, setting American records in the 50- and 100- meter backstroke events. Click here to vote for Smoliga.

Male:

Andrew Anderson, Bowling
Won five medals – one gold, three silvers and one bronze – at his first world championships in Hong Kong, rolling a perfect 300 game during singles qualifying, one of only two perfect games rolled during the tournament. Click here to vote for Anderson.

Aaron Blunck, Freestyle SkiingWon the U.S. Grand Prix halfpipe in Copper Mountain, Colorado, and secured a second-place finish in the inaugural modified halfpipe at the Dew Tour in Breckenridge, Colorado. Click here to vote for Blunck. 

Nathan Chen, Figure SkatingDefended his Grand Prix Final title with a season-high 282.42 total points, becoming the first American man and second U.S. singles skater to win two Grand Prix Final titles. Click here to vote for Chen.

Dan Cnossen, Para Nordic Skiing  Won six medals – four golds and two silvers – at the world cup in Vuokatti, Finland, securing a medal in each event in which he competed. Click here to vote for Cnossen.

Caeleb Dressel, SwimmingLed the U.S. men with nine medals – six golds and three silvers – at the short course world championships in Hangzhou, China, setting American records in the 50- and 100-meter freestyles. Click here to vote for Dressel.

Team:

Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue, Figure Skating Claimed their first Grand Prix Final title in ice dancing with a season-high 205.35 total points, becoming only the second U.S. ice dance team to win the title. Click here to vote for Hubbell and Donohue.

USA Men's Eagles Sevens, Rugby  Won back-to-back silver medals at HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Cape Town, South Africa, securing a No. 1 world ranking for the first time in history. Click here to vote for the Men's Eagles Sevens.

U.S. National Team, Sled Hockey Earned an unprecedented fifth-straight World Sled Hockey Challenge, marking its record-setting seventh title at the competition. Click here to vote for the U.S. National Team.