The Week That Was: Golden Goggles Winners and the Lia Thomas Discussion

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The Week That Was #1: 2021 Golden Goggle Award Winners: Katie Ledecky, Caeleb Dressel Named Athletes of the Year

Caeleb and Meghan Dressel at the 2021 Golden Goggles
Photo Courtesy: Ashleigh Shay

The 2021 Golden Goggle Awards showcased many of the “golden” accomplishments of the past year- both in and out of the pool. Some of the most elite Team USA athletes were honored by USA Swimming for their achievements, with an emphasis on their performances at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Tonight’s 18th annual Golden Goggles ceremony was held at the Faena Beach Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida.

There were eight awards up for grabs this year where fans had a chance to contribute to a percentage of the vote via an online ballot. NBC’s lead sports commentator Mike Tirico hosted the event in true Olympic fashion. Besides leading NBC’s coverage in Tokyo, Tirico also previously joined Rowdy Gaines as an analyst in Wave II of the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials this summer in Omaha, Nebraska.

The Week That Was #2: Lia Thomas, Transgender Swimmer from Penn, Swims Fastest Times in Nation; Controversy Brewing

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by David Rieder

At last weekend’s Zippy Invitational, Penn’s Lia Thomas won three events and swam the fastest time in the country in two of those races, but her swims are causing a stir because of Thomas’ status as a transgender athlete. Thomas competed for three years on the Penn men’s team, but she did not compete in 2020-21 as the Ivy League canceled its athletics for the entire season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, Thomas became a member of the women’s team for the first time.

The Week That Was #3:Bella Sims, Katie Grimes Lead Sandpipers to 800 Free Relay Domination at Austin Juniors

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

by David Rieder

At this summer’s Olympic Trials, the Sandpipers of Nevada placed three swimmers on the Olympic team. One was no major surprise as Erica Sullivan had been rising in the ranks in the women’s 1500-meter freestyle for years, but few predicted that 16-year-old Bella Sims or 15-year-old Katie Grimes would join Sullivan in Tokyo. But Sims finished fifth in the 200 free at Trials, and Grimes took second in the 800 free after nearly catching Sullivan for second place in the 1500.

The Week That Was #4: CSCAA Names Top 100 Swimming and Diving Coaches of the Century

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

by Dan D’Addona

As a part of the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America’s (CSCAA) Centennial Celebration, the association has named its list of 100 Greatest College Swimming & Diving Coaches of the past 100 years.

Just over 500 coaches were nominated. A blue ribbon committee of fifty eight voters selected from 263 finalists, each focusing on a particular sport (swimming or diving) and Division. A steering committee consisting of Anne Goodman James, Peter Hovland, Bob Groseth, and Jon Lederhouse then vetted and finalized the selections.

The Week That Was #5: Thomas Heilman Adds Another NAG with 1:43.97 in 200 Butterfly

Thomas Heilman, Swimming World December 2021 - Up and Comers - Cavalier Aquatics' Thomas Heilman

by Matthew de George

Thomas Heilman continued a stellar week at the 2021 Speedo Winter Junior Championships East meet in Greensboro, N.C., setting another national age-group record.

Heilman was first in prelims in a time of 1:43.97. That’s a drop of more than two seconds off his seed time of 1:46.13. It trounces the 13-14 NAG set in 2014 by Olympian Michael Andrew, who went 1:45.39.

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