Gray is semifinalist for Sullivan Award; Vote for her online starting today

CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR ADELINE GRAY
Lake Buena Vista, March 9, 2015 - AAU President/CEO Dr. Roger Goudyand AAU Sullivan Award Chair Melissa Willis announced voting is officially open today for the 85th Annual AAU James E. Sullivan Award.
There are fourteen (14) nominees including World Wrestling Champion Adeline Gray.
Gray is taking the wrestling world by storm. The 5’10, 160 lb. wrestler started out on the boys’ teams at Chatfield High School and is now a favorite for the U.S. Team at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Recently in 2014, the Denver native took home a gold medal at the World Wrestling Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, her second since 2012. A spot on the Olympic team doesn’t seem far-fetched, especially since she was an alternate for the team in the 2012 Olympic Games.
A member of the New York Athletic Club, the 24 year old place second in the Golden Grand Prix in Azerbaijan and third in the Klippan Lady Open. She was also a U.S. World Team Trials and World Cup champion. Gray is a five year veteran on Team USA and is ranked No. 1 at 75kg/165lbs.
Voting is open to everyone (sport fans, news media, coaches, family, friends).
Semi-finalist voting will close March 15th. The top six (6) finalists will then be named. Finalists will attend the award ceremony on April 19, 2015 at 2:00pm during which time the winner will be announced. Tim Morehouse, 1988 Olympic Silver Medalist in fencing, will emcee the event.
Known as the "Oscar" of sports awards, and older than The Heisman, the AAU Sullivan Award honors the outstanding amateur athlete in the United States. It has been presented annually by the AAU since 1930 as a salute to founder, past president of the AAU, and a pioneer in amateur sports, James E. Sullivan. Besides athletic achievement, the AAU Sullivan Award also looks for leadership, character and sportsmanship. Past recipients of the award include: Bruce Jenner (1976), Peyton Manning (1997), Michael Phelps (2003), J.J. Redick (2005), Tim Tebow (2007), Shawn Johnson (2008), and Missy Franklin (2012).
Three wrestlers have won: John Smith, Bruce Baumgartner and Rulon Gardner, all who have been Olympic and World champions.
“We are excited to open the voting for this year’s AAU Sullivan Award with such an accomplished group of athletes,” said Dr. Goudy. “From a Heisman Trophy winner (Marcus Mariota) to a freshman center at Duke University (Jahil Okafor) as well as the first female American luge athlete to medal at the Olympics (Erin Hamlin), this year’s class truly represents the very best in amateur athletics.”
Other nominees include Simone Biles, Shawn Barber, Meryl Davis &Charlie White, Ezekiel Elliott, Erin Hamlin, Micha Hancock, Haley Ishimatsu, Katie Ledecky, Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, Marcus Mariota, Jahlil Okafor, Ollie Schniederjans, and Maggie Steffens.
Also, this year’s ceremony marks the return to the prestigious New York Athletic Club (NYAC). Founded in 1868, the NYAC was one of the first organized amateur athletic clubs in the United States.
“With its rich and storied history, the return of the award to the New York Athletic Club signals the AAU’s commitment to both recognizing the excellence of today’s athletes while also celebrating the accomplishments of those who came before,”said Willis.
Rounding out the list of semi-finalists are: Shawn Barber (Pole Vault), Simone Biles (Gymnastics), Micha Hancock (Volleyball), Haley Ishimatsu (Diving), Katie Ledecky (Swimming), Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis (Basketball), Ollie Schniederjans (Golf), Maggie Steffens (Water Polo).
For more info on the event, including voting, past winners, event details and full bios on the nominees, visit aausullivan.org.