NEW YORK (March 12, 2024) – Team USA speed skater Emery Lehman has been named a finalist for the 94th AAU James E. Sullivan Award.
The AAU James E. Sullivan Award has been presented annually since 1930 to the most outstanding athlete at the collegiate, Olympic, or other similar elite level in the United States. In addition to athletic excellence, the award recognizes the qualities of leadership, citizenship, character, and sportsmanship on and off the playing surface.
Lehman is a three-time Olympian, taking home a bronze medal in 2022, and a current world record holder and World Cup champion in the Team Pursuit. At the 2024 Four Continents Championships, he won a gold medal in Team Pursuit and a silver in 1500m. When he’s not skating, you can find him coaching outside the rink as an Assistant Coach at West Allis Speed Skating Club.
The other five finalists are:
- Caitlin Clark, Basketball, University of Iowa
- NCAA’s all-time leading scorer
- David Taylor, Wrestling, USA Wrestling
- 3x World Champion
Frederick Richard, Gymnastics, USA Gymnastics
- 2x World Championships medalist
- Madisen Skinner, Volleyball, University of Texas
- 3x NCAA Champion
- Noah Jaffe, Para Swimming, U.S. Paralympics Swimming
- 4x World Championships medalist
The one-week voting period to determine the winner opens to the public today and closes on Tuesday, March 19 at 11:59 p.m. EST. The public can vote once a day for their choice at https://bit.ly/94thsullivanfinalists.
The winner of the 94th AAU Sullivan Award will be announced at an awards ceremony on Tuesday, April 23, 2024, at the New York Athletic Club.
“We’re proud of our award’s uniqueness in honoring elite athletes regardless of sport or gender,” said AAU President Jo Mirza. “These finalists are not only incredible athletes but incredible people contributing positively to society. They’re great role models for our AAU athletes.”
The winner of this year’s award will join a renowned list of recipients. Previously, three speed skaters have won the award: Eric Heiden (1980), Bonnie Blair (1992) and Dan Jansen (1994). Other prior winners include Michael Phelps (swimming), Michelle Kwan (figure skating), Peyton Manning (football), Carl Lewis (track and field), Breanna Stewart (basketball), and Simone Biles (gymnastics).
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ABOUT THE AAU: The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is one of the largest, non-profit, volunteer sports event organizations in the country. As a multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports programs. Founded in 1888 to establish standards and uniformity in sports, the AAU philosophy of “Sports For All, Forever” is now shared by nearly 800,000 members and 150,000 volunteers across 45 sports programs and 55 U.S. districts. For more information, visit www.aausports.org.
