Four From County Named Athletes of the Year
Four Orange County athletes--volleyball player Scott Fortune of Laguna Niguel, sailor Lanee Butler of San Juan Capistrano, baseball player Mike Kelly and cyclist Janie Eickhoff, both of Los Alamitos--were among 55 men and 51 women honored as Athletes of the Year by their organizations, the U.S. Olympic Committee announced Thursday.
Those named are now eligible for the USOC SportsMan and SportsWoman of the Year Awards, to be presented in January.
Fortune, 25, captained the U.S. national team to a third-place finish in its pool in the World League, which he led in digs and was named the best serve receiver.
Kelly hit .373 for Arizona State and was named an All-American for the third consecutive year. The Atlanta Braves made him the second choice in baseball’s amateur draft.
Other athletes honored by their sports include Carl Lewis and Jackie Joyner-Kersee from track, swimmers Summer Sanders and Mike Barrowman and tennis players Jim Courier and Pam Shriver.
In addition to the Olympic and Pan American Games sports organizations, top athletes also were named by the USOC’s Affiliated Sports Organizations as well as the organizations for Disabled in Sports.
A panel of media, and the USOC Board of Directors and its Athletes Advisory Council, will vote for the SportsMan and SportsWoman of the Year.