{"id":278373,"date":"2017-09-26T06:19:25","date_gmt":"2017-09-26T13:19:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=278373"},"modified":"2017-09-26T06:19:25","modified_gmt":"2017-09-26T13:19:25","slug":"mallory-comerford-wins-athlete-of-the-year-at-louisville-wish-awards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/mallory-comerford-wins-athlete-of-the-year-at-louisville-wish-awards\/","title":{"rendered":"Mallory Comerford Wins Athlete of the Year at Louisville WISH Awards"},"content":{"rendered":"

After an incredible year of success including five gold medals at the 2017 World Championships and an individual NCAA title in the 200 freestyle, Louisville’s Mallory Comerford<\/strong><\/a> picked up another accolade on Sept. 25 at the City of Louisville’s Women In Sports Honors.<\/p>\n

Produced by the Louisville Women\u2019s Sports Network, the event is held to honor female athletes and contributors to women’s sports.<\/p>\n

The organization’s main initiative with the Awards, as featured on their website<\/a>, is:<\/p>\n

“Forty percent\u00a0of all athletic participants are female, yet only\u00a04%\u00a0of sports media coverage is dedicated to women\u2019s athletics. So we\u2019re changing the game! Join us at\u00a0WISH\u00a0as we continue to promote our\u00a0#40and4\u00a0awareness campaign in an effort to cover and celebrate our city\u2019s most talented and deserving female athletes.”<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
And the guest of honor Monday night was none other than Comerford. She was awarded WISH’s Athlete of the Year as a result of her outstanding performances in the pool.<\/p>\n
Louisville Head Coach\u00a0Arthur Albiero<\/strong><\/a>, had a different form of praise for the Cardinal:\u00a0\u201cYou have to understand that Mallory is a student of the sport and has done a great job utilizing her resources from detailed race analysis to nutrition, massage therapy and recovery protocols,\u201d Albiero told the Detriot Free Press<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe strive to empower each of our swimmers to have a growth mind-set where they are always learning and growing. We create the environment, but Mallory\u2019s competitiveness is really her driving force.\u201d<\/p>\n
This devotion to success and competitive spirit made Comerford a national headline when she tied Katie Ledecky<\/strong><\/a> for the 200 freestyle title at NCAAs.<\/p>\n
$\"malloery-comerford-katie-ledecky-\"$
Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick<\/p><\/div>\n
“I respect her so much,” Comerford said<\/a>. “She has changed the sport of women’s swimming.”<\/p>\n
And speaking of NCAA Champions, teammate Kelsi Worrell<\/strong><\/a> won the same award\u00a0at both the first and second annual WISH Honors. She expressed her pride in Comerford via her social media handles:<\/p>\n
\n
Love this girl and her heart! Congrats @Mal_Comerford<\/a> for winning athlete of the year! So proud ?? pic.twitter.com\/72pPD0q49v<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Kelsi Worrell (@kelsiwhirl) September 26, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The two share a special connection as Louisville National Champions. This relationship was only strengthened this summer when they made up half of the USA’s World Champion 400 freestyle relay.<\/p>\n
$\"kelsi-worrell-mallory-comerford-hug-phillips-66-nationals-2017\"$
Photo Courtesy: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports<\/p><\/div>\n
This marks three-straight WISH Athlete of the Year Awards for Louisville Swimming & Diving, proving the impact their team has made on the city of Louisville, the women of Louisville and women everywhere.<\/p>\n
Wave3 News and the Detroit Free Press contributed to this report.<\/em><\/p>\n