INDIANAPOLIS, March 23, 2020 – Rhythmic National Team member Evita Griskenas of Orland Park, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center, and 2012 Olympic gold medalist Kyla Ross of Aliso Viejo, Calif./UCLA, are two of the 10 finalists for the 90th AAU James E. Sullivan Award.
Voting is open now through March 30 at 11:59 pm EST. Fans can vote once a day. The winner will be announced at the Sullivan Award ceremony, scheduled for Tuesday, April 21, in New York, N.Y.
Griskenas has been the U.S. junior all-around champion (June 2015), U.S. senior ball (July 2018) and ribbon champion (July 2019), and three-time U.S. all-around silver medalist. She swept all five gold medals at the Pan American Championships in October 2017, and grew not only to become the most decorated athlete of the August 2019 Pan American Games (winning the all-around, hoop, ball, and ribbon gold medals as well as a bronze in clubs), but also qualified USA for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, securing a spot in the top 8 in the world at the World Championships in Baku in September.
Ross won Olympic gold in 2012 as a member of the Fierce Five and also won World Championships team gold in 2014. Ross has had a historic career at UCLA, setting numerous national records and capturing NCAA titles on every individual event. Last season, she became the first gymnast in NCAA history to earn two Gym Slams in the same season, recording at least two perfect 10s on each event. She totaled 14 perfect 10s in 2019, a new NCAA single-season record, and she scored a perfect 10 in an unprecedented 10 consecutive meets. The first female gymnast in history to win NCAA, World and Olympic gold, Ross has totaled four NCAA individual championships and one team championship.
The AAU Sullivan Award has been presented annually since 1930 to the outstanding amateur athlete in the United States. The list of recipients includes Paul Hamm (2004), Shawn Johnson (2008) and Kurt Thomas (1979). For more information the Sullivan award, visit aausullivan.org.