SANDY, Utah (Thursday, March 12, 2015) – Real Salt Lake midfielder and captain Kyle Beckerman is nominated the best Pro/Olympian Male Athlete at the fourth annual Utah Governor’s State of Sports Awards, hosted by the Utah Sports Commission and presented by Zions Bank. The annual awards celebrate the achievements made in high school, amateur, collegiate, Olympic and professional sports in the state of Utah in 2014.
Beckerman is one of eight nominees in his category after he captained RSL to a seventh consecutive playoff appearance and fifth consecutive season of at least 15 wins and 50 points. He also represented the U.S. National Team at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, where he started all three Group Stage matches as the U.S. advanced to the Round of 16 for the second consecutive World Cup.
The winners of the Governor’s State of Sport Awards will be determined by an online vote. Voting is now open for all 10 award categories at http://www.stateofsportawards.com/. The nominees were selected by a committee comprised of members of the sports media and community at large.
The 10 winners of the State of Sport Awards will be announced at an awards dinner on April 21 at EnergySolutions Arena in downtown Salt Lake City. Utah Governor Gary R. Herbert will speak at the ceremony and present awards to all 10 winners. Late night TV show host and comedian Jay Leno will be a special guest at the event, along with this year’s lifetime achievement winner, Stein Eriksen.
2015 Governor's State of Sport Awards Nominees
High School Female Athlete
Jessie Bradley – Weightlifting, USA Weightlifting
Whittni Orton – Basketball/Track, Panguitch High School
Riley Lyman – Basketball/Volleyball, Enterprise High School
Lucy Biles – Cross Country – Herriman High School
Lacy Haddock – Basketball/Volleyball – Timpview High School
High School Male Athlete
Austin Kaventzis – Football/Track, Jordan High School
Britain Covey - Football, Timpview High School
Osa Masina - Football, Brighton High School
Sam Merrill – Baseball/Basketball, Bountiful High School
Frank Jackson – Basketball, Lone Peak High School
Colton Shaver – Baseball, Jordan High School
College Female Athlete
Jennifer Hamson - Basketball & Volleyball, Brigham Young University
Alexa Gray – Volleyball, Brigham Young University
Mary Beth Lofgren – Gymnastics, University of Utah
Bailey Bateman – Volleyball, University of Utah
College Male Athlete
Tom Hackett – Football, University of Utah
Nate Orchard – Football, University of Utah
Tyler Haws – Basketball, Brigham Young University
Delon Wright – Basketball, University of Utah
Zach Vigil – Football, Utah State University
Devontae Booker – Football, University of Utah
Professional/Olympian Female Athlete
Devin Logan – Freeskiing, U.S. Ski and Snowboard
Maddie Bowman – Freeskiing, U.S. Ski and Snowboard
Noelle Pikus-Pace – Skeleton, USA Bobsled and Skeleton
Kaitlyn Farrington - Snowboarding, U.S. Ski and Snowboard
Professional/Olympian Male Athlete
Kaycee Feild - Rodeo, PRCA
Ted Ligety - Alpine Skiing, U.S. Ski Team
Kyle Beckerman - Soccer, Real Salt Lake
Steve Holcomb - Bobsled, US Bobsled and Skeleton
Joss Christensen – Freeskiing, U.S. Ski and Snowboard
Gordon Hayward – Basketball, Utah Jazz
Sage Kotsenburg – Snowboarding, U.S. Ski and Snowboard
Tony Finau – Golf, PGA Tour/Web.com Tour
Coach of the Year
Allyce Jones – Pleasant Grove HS Volleyball
Matt Wells – Utah State University Football
Shawn Olmstead – BYU Women’s Volleyball
Dave Peck – Bingham HS Football
Timo Mostert – American Fork HS Cross Country
Team of the Year
American Fork High School Cross Country
Bingham High School Football
Timpview High School Football
University of Utah Football
Lone Peak High School Men’s Basketball
Brigham Young University Women’s Volleyball
Event/Highlight of the Year
Tour of Utah – Professional Cycling
Olympic Trials – Speedskating, Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined
Red Bull Rampage Freeride Mountain Bike
Gordon Hayward Buzzer Shot vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
Travis Wilson to Kaelin Clay vs. USC
Taysom Hill Hurdles Texas Defender
Southern Utah’s A.J. Hess Launces 40-ft. Shot for the Win
Brighton Football Defeats Jordan in Triple Overtime
