On the heels of winning his third straight NCAA Championship, Ohio State wrestling superstar Kyle Snyder is again a nominee for the AAU James E. Sullivan Award. He was a finalist for the award in 2017.
.@Snyder_man45 is a finalist for the AAU Sullivan Award! Voting ends tomorrow. Let your voice be heard! https://t.co/eXEkSun4fc pic.twitter.com/ED7RJVOTXG
— USA Wrestling (@USAWrestling) March 19, 2018
The AAU Sullivan Award is an annual honor presented since 1930 to the nation’s best amateur athlete. Its first recipient was golf legend Bobby Jones, and the most recent Buckeye to receive the award was running back Ezekiel Elliott.
Other past recipients include swimmers Missy Franklin and Michael Phelps, quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Tim Tebow, and track stars Carl Lewis and Jackie Joyner-Kersee. Only three wrestlers have ever won the award: John Smith in 1990, Bruce Baumgartner in 1995 and Rulon Gardner in 2000.
Snyder's official nomination, from the AAU Sullivan Award site:
An AAU James E. Sullivan Award finalist last year, Snyder was an NCAA Champion, Big Ten Champion and All-American in 2017. He earned U.S. Male Olympic Athlete of the Year honors and was crowned Ohio State Male Athlete of the Year. Snyder is the Ivan Yarygin gold medalist (97kg) and his 2017 World Championship match was dubbed “Match of the Century,” as his win gave USA Wrestling its first World Team title in 22 years.
Fans can vote online until March 20 at 11:59 p.m. Other nominees include Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield, Penn State running back Saquon Barkley, Duke basketball standout Marvin Bagley III, and Oklahoma point guard Trae Young.
