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Women's Swimming & Diving

World's Best

STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford sophomore swimmer Katie Ledecky was named Female Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press on Tuesday.  

Ledecky is the first swimmer to win AP Female Athlete of the Year honors in 21 years (American Amy Van Dyken in 1996), and just the eighth since the award was established in 1931. She is the first active college athlete to win since University of Connecticut basketball player Rebecca Lobo in 1995, and the first female from the D.C. area and the state of Maryland to claim the honor. 

Katie received 351 points, edging out tennis star Serena Williams with 343.  Olympic track star Allyson Felix finished third in voting, with 248 points

A native of Bethesda, Maryland, Ledecky had arguably the best freshman season in the history of collegiate swimming. In her first year at Stanford under head coach Greg Meehan, Ledecky set five individual American records and seven individual NCAA records in three different events, and broke Stanford team records in five individual events en route to five All-America honors. She became just the second freshman to win the Honda Cup, awarded to the top collegiate women's athlete – she and Lobo are the only athletes to win both awards in the same year.

On the international stage, Ledecky won six medals at the world championships to become the most decorated female swimmer in world championship history. Ledecky, who was also named Female Olympic Athlete of the Year by the United States Olympic Committee, is a two-time Olympian and six-time Olympic medalist, and has broken 13 world records and 32 American records in her swimming career. 
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