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USA Triathlon is pleased to announce the recipients of its annual elite athlete awards for 2006 as selected by the USAT Athlete Advisory Council.
Highlighting the list are Triathletes of the Year (ITU) Andy Potts & Laura Bennett. Also honored were Multisport Non-ITU Athletes of the Year: Seth Wealing & Becky Lavelle and Rookies of the Year (1st pro race was in 2006): Michael Orton & Kelly Couch.
“These athletes really stood out among American athletes, and in a few cases the world, in 2006,” said USAT Sport Performance Director Scott Schnitzspahn.
Potts had his best season yet on the World Cup circuit, finishing ranked No. 3 and earning three podium finishes, including a win at the final event of the season. Bennett finished fourth in the World for the women and earned four top-three placements at World Cup events on the year.
More comments from Schnitzspahn on the award recipients:
Andy Potts (Colorado Springs, Colo.): Andy was America’s most consistent performer this year and earned the only World Cup win for the USA in the final event of the year.
Laura Bennett (N. Palm Beach, Fla.): Laura showed why she is the front runner for the 2008 Olympic team with multiple podiums at World Cups and an 8th place at Worlds.
Seth Wealing (Boulder, Colo.): Seth showed his versatility in 2006 by being highly ranked among Americans on the ITU points and dominating the XTERRA circuit as well, winning the XTERRA US Championship. He is a special athlete.
Becky Lavelle (Los Gatos, Calif.): Becky was head and shoulders above the other elite women in every non-ITU event she entered. She’s the best pure triathlete in the USA. She won at St. Anthony’s, Escape from Alcatraz, Vineman Half, and Treasure Island, and had top three finishes at Lifetime Fitness and Chicago.
Michael Orton (Reston, Va.): Michael mixed it up with the best this season and was a factor in every race he entered. We look forward to seeing how Mike does now that he is out of the U23 ranks.
Kelly Couch (San Mateo, Calif.): Kelly was amazing in only her second year in the sport. To place 6th and 2nd American at the 70.3 World Championships shows she has huge potential.
USA Triathlon is the national governing body for triathlon, duathlon, aquathlon and winter triathlon in the United States. USAT sanctions 2,000 races and connects with more than 80,000 members each year, making it the largest multisport organization in the world.
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