By The Associated Press and staff
MIAMI — Lydia Jacoby, a senior at Seward High School, won two awards at USA Swimming’s annual Golden Goggle awards Tuesday night.
Jacoby earned two awards for breakout performer and female race of the year. She won the 100-meter breaststroke in an upset over defending Olympic champion Lilly King. She also helped the U.S. to a silver in the 4-by-100 medley relay. The 17-year-old was the first swimmer from Alaska to make a U.S. Olympic team.
According to USA Swimming, the event was hosted by Mike Tirico and celebrated the performance of the U.S. team at the Olympics. The team won 11 gold medals, 10 silver medals and nine bronze medals.
“It was in April of this year was the first time I realized I had a good shot of making the Olympic Team,” Jacoby said in a statement released by USA Swimming. “I was in California for a TYR Pro meet and Jessica (Hardy) told me that she thought I could take gold in Tokyo and I was like, ‘Pfff!’
“I’d like to say a huge thank you to everybody on the Olympic team and all of the staff and coaches who helped me along the way after Trials. I think they contributed drastically to my confidence, and it was so motivating being with everyone in those weeks leading to the Olympics. I think we all are a big family.”
Caeleb Dressel and Katie Ledecky were honored as male and female athletes of the year.
Dressel repeated as athlete of the year after earning gold medals in the 50-meter freestyle, 100 free and 100 butterfly at the Tokyo Olympics. He also was a key member of the winning men’s 4-by-100 free and 4-by-100 medley relays, becoming just the fourth American male swimmer to win five golds at a single games.
Ledecky earned two gold and two silver medals in Tokyo to become the most decorated female individual gold medalist in Olympic history. She won the 800 free and inaugural 1,500 free, finished second in the 400 free, and anchored the 4-by-200 free relay to a silver.
Other winners were Bobby Finke for male race of the year; Dressel, Zach Apple, Michael Andrew and Ryan Murphy for relay performance of the year; Annie Lazor for the perseverance award; and Gregg Troy as coach of the year. He coached Dressel through the Olympics before the swimmer switched to Anthony Nesty.
Jacoby awards D’ Amico the Order of Ikkos
According to the Seward Journal, Jacoby awarded Seward High School head swim coach Solomon D’ Amico the Order of Ikkos at the swim banquet for the Seahawks on Nov. 8 at Resurrect Art Coffee House.
The International Olympic Committee does not recognize coaches when athletes win medals at the Olympics. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee gives each U.S. Olympic or Paralympic medalist a chance to acknowledge one coach for making the medal possible. This award is called the Order of Ikkos.
“Coach Sol is the type of coach who not only helps his athletes excel in sports but also in life,” Jacoby said, according to the Seward Journal. “He is dedicated to his swimmers beyond anyone I have ever met before.
“He not only takes into consideration short term training and success but long term physical and mental building to help athletes later in life. Everything he does is carefully thought out with the utmost concern for the kids he is coaching to achieve their dreams in and out of the water.”
