Hendrickson wins Utah professional athlete of the year award
/SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — Sarah Hendrickson, of Park City, has won the Utah “Pro/Olympian Female Athlete of the Year” award.
The announcement came as part of the Third Annual Governor's State of Sport Awards event held Tuesday, April 22 at EnergySolutions Arena. Utah Gov. Gary R. Herbert provided remarks and presented awards along with golf legend, designer and philanthropist, Jack Nicklaus.
"It's a huge honor to win this award not only from the governor but alongside the other amazing nominees," Hendrickson said. "It makes me happy and grateful that people are learning about our sport of ski jumping. There are so many people to thank. I's an honor to be from Utah where we raise and support athletes to such an elite level."
Hendrickson won for her 2013 World Championships win in Val di Fiemme, Italy, and for her great comeback to make the 2014 Olympic Team after a devastating knee injury last August.
Over 950 guests attended the event recognizing athletes, coaches, key sports figures and partners who have been instrumental in helping to build Utah's sports industry. This year's event included 55 nominees in 10 categories. Over 125,000 votes were cast from sports fans across all 50 states and from 80 countries around the world.
Award winners:
High School Male Athlete - Britain Covey - Football, Timpview High School
High School Female Athlete - Tatiana Su'e Su'e - Softball, San Juan High School
College Male Athlete - Kyle Van Noy - Football, Brigham Young University
College Female Athlete - Georgia Dabritz - Gymnastics, University of Utah
Professional Male Athlete - Kyle Beckerman - Soccer, Real Salt Lake
Professional Female Athlete - Sarah Hendrickson - Ski Jumping, U.S. Ski Team
Coach of the Year - Kristen Bailey - Volleyball, Timpview High School
Team of the Year - Real Salt Lake, MLS
Game or Event of the Year - The University of Utah Football team defeats #5 Stanford
Highlight of the Year - Nick Rimando Save
In addition, two Lifetime Achievement in Sport Awards were presented to golf greats Johnny Miller and Billy Casper for their contribution to golf and sport in Utah. The event also paid special tribute to Utah's Olympians and Paralympians. Twenty-three of the seventy-one Olympians and Paralympians who live or train in Utah were honored for their recent success at the Sochi Winter Games.
The awards were presented for the 2013 calendar year. The nominees were selected by a committee comprised of members of the sports media and community at large. Fans were then able to visit www.stateofsportawards.com and select their favorite nominee in each category.
