Spencer Lee defeated Purdue's Devin Schroder to claim the Big Ten title (Photo/Juan Garcia)IOWA CITY, Iowa -- University of Iowa junior Spencer Lee has been named a semifinalist for the AAU James E. Sullivan Award, presented annually since 1930 to the most outstanding amateur athlete in the United States.
Fans can vote for semifinalists by visiting aausports.org. Voting opens Monday, March 9 and closes Friday, March 13. The award winner will be announced April 21 at a ceremony in New York City.
Representatives from the AAU created the AAU James E. Sullivan Award with the intent to recognize amateur contributions and achievements from non-professional athletes across the country. The AAU Sullivan Award is presented to the athlete who has demonstrated the most athletic success, as well as leadership, character and sportsmanship in the past year.
World renowned golfer Robert "Bobby" Jones received the inaugural award in 1930 and swimmer Anne Curtis became the first female to accept the award in 1944. Other notable athletes to win the award include famed Olympians Carl Lewis (1981), Jackie Joyner-Kersee (1986), Michael Phelps (2003) and Shawn Johnson (2008), former UCLA basketball star Bill Walton (1973) and University of Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning (1997). Most recently, ESPNW Player of the Year and NCAA Volleyball National Champion Kathryn Plummer was crowned the 89th AAU James E. Sullivan Award winner for her accomplishments in 2018.
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