USA Swimming Athletes Honored at twenty second Annual Golden Goggle Awards

USA Swimming, the nationwide governing physique for the game of swimming within the United States, and the USA Swimming Foundation, the philanthropic arm of USA Swimming, celebrated its twenty second annual Golden Goggle Awards ceremony. The occasion, which honors the performances of the United States on the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore earlier this 12 months, bestowed seven awards, together with Female and Male Athletes of the Year offered by Omega and the Relay of the Year offered by Toyota.

The Golden Goggle Awards are USA Swimming’s annual celebration honoring athletes, coaches, and alumni for his or her affect on the game of swimming all year long. All proceeds immediately profit the USA Swimming Foundation’s mission of Saving Lives, Building Champions, and Impacting Communities.

2025 USA Swimming Golden Goggle Award Winners:

• Female Athlete of the Year, offered by Omega: Katie Ledecky
• Male Athlete of the Year, offered by Omega: Luca Urlando
• Coach of the Year, offered by Omega: Todd DeSorbo
• Fran Crippen Open Water Athlete of the Year: Ivan Puskovitch
• Relay of the Year offered by Toyota: Women’s 4x100m Medley Relay – Regan Smith, Kate Douglass, Gretchen Walsh, and Torri Huske
• Alumni of the Year: Elizabeth Beisel
• Foundation Impact Award: David and Maya Shackley

Female Athlete of the Year offered by Omega: Katie Ledecky

As a four-time Olympian, Katie Ledecky (Bethesda, Md./Gator Swim Club) continued to show her dominance on the world stage as the best feminine American athlete of all time. In Singapore, she claimed her seventh world title within the 800-meter freestyle and sixth world title within the 1500m freestyle. The 800m freestyle win marked a brand new legacy for Ledecky, as she grew to become the one swimmer in historical past to realize seven consecutive world titles. She additionally claimed a silver within the girls’s 4x200m freestyle relay and bronze within the 400m freestyle.

Ledecky on the night: “This was a fun night, and a lot of money was raised for the USA Swimming Foundation. I’m very honored to receive this award. There were so many female athletes who performed at such a high level this year, and it’s an honor to be on a team with them. Thank you to my coaches, including Coach Nesty and all my coaches at Florida, my teammates, and my family.”

Male Athlete of the Year offered by Omega: Luca Urlando

In the lads’s 200m butterfly, Luca Urlando (Sacramento, Calif./Athens Bulldog Swim Club) grew to become the second American ever to clock a time of 1:51. After shoulder surgical procedure in 2022, Urlando made an astonishing comeback to the game with a dominant efficiency from the beginning of the race, claiming his first world title with a remaining time of 1:51.87.

Urlando on successful this award: “It really means the world to me. Honestly, when I think about winning this award, I think about all the people that have supported me through this journey. My parents, my family, my sister, all my coaches and teammates who believed in me to help me get to this point. Thank you to my sponsor, Mizuno, for their unconditional love and support. The University of Georgia and all their resources and staff that have brought me to this moment. I really cannot be more thankful and honored to receive this award.”

Coach of the Year offered by Omega: Todd DeSorbo

For the second 12 months in a row, Todd DeSorbo received the Coach of the Year Award offered by Omega. DeSorbo is the pinnacle coach for the lads’s and ladies’s swim group on the University of Virginia. Of the 21 medals received by the ladies’s group on the 2025 World Aquatics Championships, 9 of these had been claimed by his present or former University of Virginia (UVA) swimmers. This previous 12 months, the UVA girls’s group solidified its swimming dominance by incomes a fifth consecutive NCAA title, making this system simply one in every of three to take action since 1996. DeSorbo was additionally awarded the 2025 ASCA George Haines Coach of the Year award by the American Swimming Coaches Association for his contributions to American swimming. He was additionally awarded the Division I Coach of the Year award by the Collegiate Swim Coaches Association 5 years in a row (2021-2025).

Fran Crippen Open Water Athlete of the Year: Ivan Puskovitch

The 3K Knockout Sprint debuted on the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in July, the place Ivan Puskovitch (West Chester, Pa./TSM Aquatics) secured a seventh-place end. The occasion requires athletes to swim three races and not using a warm-down. Puskovitch accomplished the primary leg of 1500m in 17:08.80, the second leg of 1000m in 11:31.80, and the ultimate leg of 500m in 6:07.20. His end secured the best placement for the U.S. within the open-water races.

Puskovitch on how a lot this award means to him: “This Fran Crippen Open Water Athlete of the Year Award means so more to me than it just being a trophy, it’s a symbol of Fran’s legacy. The fact that it drives me every day in my training, in every pool and every lap I swim on the course. I’m so honored to come from an environment that also shaped Fran throughout his swimming career. He is one of the greatest open water swimmers in American history and I’m glad to be able to build upon that legacy.”

Relay of the Year offered by Toyota: Women’s 4x100m Medley Relay

In the ultimate occasion of the meet, the ladies’s 4x100m medley relay secured U.S. dominance once more as Regan Smith (Lakeville, Minn./Longhorn Aquatics), Kate Douglass (Pelham, N.Y./Cavalier Aquatics), Gretchen Walsh (Nashville, Tenn./Cavalier Aquatics), and Torri Huske (Arlington, Va./Alto Swim Club) claimed gold and a world report with a time of three:49.34. Prelims swimmers for the occasion included Katharine Berkoff (Missoula, Mont./Wolfpack Elite), Lilly King (Evansville, Ind./Indiana Swim Club), Claire Curzan (Cary, N.C./TAC Titans), and Simone Manuel (Sugar Land, Texas, Longhorn Aquatics).

G. Walsh on the historical past of this relay: “Winning this award means everything and it is the race I am going to remember the most from this summer. It was a collaborative effort. I feel like we had a lot in store going into this meet, and some things didn’t come to fruition, but this did. It was unexpected but it was amazing regardless. I feel like I came away from this meet feeling satisfied and excited for more. We’ve won that relay three years in a row, it’s won Relay of the Year three years in a row, and we’ve broken a world record two years in a row. I’m thinking to myself we have a trajectory and legacy here.”

Douglass on the relay: “Everyone agrees, this is the most fun relay of the meet. It closes out the meet and we are always excited to be a part of it. Last year, I was a prelims relay swimmer, so this year, getting to be in the final, it just meant so much. I was glad that I got to swim in it with these ladies, and I’m glad all of us were able to accept this award together.”

Smith on America’s dominance of this relay: “Winning this award means so much. The medley relay is incredibly dominant, and we have a lot of pride in that. Every time we get to be on this relay it’s a privilege. We have so much depth in all four strokes, and we expect nothing less than winning and dominating every single time we get up on the blocks together. I’m really proud of us.”

Huske on the award: “This is my favorite relay. The women’s relay is always at the end of every meet, and I feel like we always go out with a bang. I was immediately excited when I was told I was going to swim at night. It definitely means a lot, especially after everything that we went through together this summer.”

Alumni of the Year: Elizabeth Beisel

Outside of an impressive aggressive profession as a two-time Olympian, Elizabeth Beisel has continued to honor and assist the game via quite a few endeavors. As a present Ambassador and member of the USA Swimming Foundation Board of Directors, she has dedicated to supporting swimmers at each degree, making a major affect throughout the nation. In the broader sports activities group, Beisel has solidified herself as an NBC and ESPN media contributor, revealed her memoir ‘Silver Lining,’ and speaks to a number of Fortune 500 corporations on overcoming adversities.

Beisel on being stunned by the award: “I had zero idea I was receiving this award. Usually, I have good sense on this type of thing, but honestly, I was absolutely shocked. It is amazing because I know how much being on the National Team means, and to be recognized as Alumni of the Year is so special. It’s a testament to not me, but the work that the USA Swimming Foundation and USA Swimming are doing. I’m just blown away.”

“Elizabeth Beisel has been a champion of swimming for decades,” stated USA Swimming Foundation Executive Director Elaine Calip. “As an Ambassador and member of the USA Swimming Foundation Board of Directors, she has impacted individuals from age group swimmers learning how to swim to elite athletes competing on the international stage. Her commitment to swimming and her uplifting spirit created a clear consensus on why she is deserving of the 2025 USA Swimming Foundation Alumni of the Year Award.”

Foundation Impact Award: David and Maya Shackley
For a few years, David and Maya Shackley have continued to make a long-lasting affect on the swimming group. David has served because the USA Swimming Foundation Board Chair for the previous 4 years and is a pacesetter who immediately elevates the room. During his tenure, the USA Swimming Foundation has helped assist probably the most profitable Olympic Trials in its historical past, doubled the roster of mentors via the Donor-Athlete Partnership Program (DAPP), and expanded the partnership with U.S. Masters Swimming, leading to record-setting assist of Adult Learn-to-Swim funding. Additionally, the Shackleys have immediately mentored quite a few athletes. Through the DAPP program, they’ve financially supported and personally mentored Bobby Finke, Brennan Gravely, Ivan Puskovitch, Andrew Seliskar, Leah Smith, and Jordan Wilimovsky, permitting them to proceed their swimming careers till retirement.

David Shackley on being stunned by the award: “I was very surprised. I saw Andrew (Seliskar) and Brennan (Gravely) and they both gave me great reasons to why they were supporting this great cause tonight, so I didn’t think anything of it. Once I saw them, plus Ivan (Puskovitch) and Bobby (Finke) on the stage, I knew something was up.”

“We are eternally thankful to both David and Maya for their continued support of the USA Swimming Foundation and the swimming community,” stated Calip. “Their leadership has impacted so many individuals, including directly sponsoring six current and former National Team athletes. Their work will be remembered long after David finishes his Board Chair position in December, and we know the Shackleys will always be valued members of the USA Swimming and USA Swimming Foundation family.”