Kalon Ludvigson of Pocatello, Idaho/Team Revolution, and Lexie Priessman of Cincinnati, Ohio/Cincinnati Gymnastics, have been nominated for Male and Female USOC Athletes of the Month for their performances in September. Fans can help determine the award winners by voting in a Twitter poll, which counts for 10 percent of the final award. To vote for Ludvigson, click here, and to vote for Priessman, click here.
Ludvigson won the tumbling title at the 2011 World Cup in Salzgitter, Germany. Ludvigson, who also won this event in 2009, posted a 75.500 to easily win the World Cup gold medal, scoring nearly two points better than runner-up Mikhail Kostyanov of Russia (73.700). Canada’s Alexander Seifert was third at 72.400. Ludvigson posted a 38.200 for his first pass to take the lead and followed with a 37.300 for the title, his first World Cup gold medal for 2011.
Priessman earned three gold medals, dominating three of the four women’s individual event finals at the 2011 Japan Junior International in Yokohama, Japan, on Sept. 25. After earning the women’s all-around gold medal the day prior, Priessman won three individual titles with top scores on vault (15.825), uneven bars (14.175), and floor exercise (14.425). She also scored 11.425 on balance beam, finishing seventh.