By Terin Frodyma on SwimSwam
Following Team USA’s medal table-topping 29-medal performance at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, USA Swimming today announced nominees for the 22nd annual Golden Goggle Awards, which will be held on September 27th at the Denver Art Museum. This year’s award haul has been cut down to just five awards, rather than the nine from last year.
Unlike 2024, there will not be an award for the Breakout Performer of the Year, Female Race of the Year, Male Race of the Year, or the Perserverance Award.
World champions Gretchen Walsh, Katie Ledecky and Luca Urlando lead a list of nominees that also included strong showings in Singapore. The group is also rounded out by Jack Alexy, who set the second fastest split ever (45.95) to cap the bronze-medal winning 4×100 freestyle relay.
Female Athlete of the Year
Nominees:
Ledecky earned her seventh consecutive world championship title in the 800 freestyle, the first swimmer in history to win seven consecutive world titles in the same event. Walsh had a breakthrough meet at Worlds with a sprint double gold in the 50 and 100 butterfly. Douglass put up an American Record in the 200 breaststroke to win gold, while Berkoff notched her first individual world title with a win in the 50 backstroke, outperforming Regan Smith and Kaylee McKeown.
Male Athlete of the Year
Nominees:
Alexy’s 100 free American Record and blistering relay swims gave the U.S. crucial points in Singapore. Urlando delivered a gold medal performance in the 200 butterfly, becoming the fourth-fastest performer in history. Hobson, already the U.S. national champion in the 200 freestyle, added world silver in the same event. Casas took silver in the 200 IM, finishing only behind Leon Marchand’s world record swim.
Coach of the Year
Nominees:
Nesty was the only coach to represent the U.S. on deck in Singapore, while Bowman had a lot of success from his swimmers both at home and abroad. Virginia women’s coach DeSorbo also had a slew of important swims at Worlds to help out the American team.
Fran Crippen Open Water Athlete of the Year
Nominees:
- Mariah Denigan
- Dylan Gravley
- Brinkleigh Hansen
- Ivan Puskovitch
Denigan led the American women in Singapore with top-15 finishes in both the 5km (13th) and 10km (14th). Hansen also gained valuable experience in her first World Championships. On the men’s side, Gravley placed 17th in the 5km, added a 22nd-place finish in the 10km, while Puskovitch finished 20th in the 5km to round out the U.S. performance in the Open Water events.
Relay Performance of the Year
Nominees:
- Mixed 4×100 m Freestyle Relay – World Record
- Women’s 4×100 m Medley Relay – World Record
Both nominated relays set new all-time bests in Singapore. The mixed 4×100 free relay of Jack Alexy, Patrick Sammon, Kate Douglass, and Torri Huske won gold in 3:18.48, while the women’s medley relay of Regan Smith, Kate Douglass, Gretchen Walsh, and Torri Huske went out in style with a world-record time of 3:49.34.
Fans can cast their ballots online through August 22nd at 11:59 MT.
In addition to the awards ceremony on September 27th, the Golden Goggles weekend will include Friday’s alumni reception as well as a Family Day on Sunday. All proceeds benefit the USA Swimming Foundation’s mission of saving lives, building champions, and strengthening communities through swim programs across the country.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: Walsh, Ledecky, Urlando Headline 2025 Golden Goggle Nominees
