Gator great Elizabeth Beisel served as co-captain for Team USA.
Dressel and Beisel Take Home Golden Goggles Awards
Tuesday, November 22, 2016 | Men's Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving, Olympics
They were two of 15 Gator swimmers at the Rio Olympics
NEW YORK – At the USA Swimming Golden Goggles Awards on Monday night, junior Caeleb Dressel and Gator great Elizabeth Beisel each took home an award honoring their performances at the 2016 Olympic Games.
The Golden Goggles, USA Swimming's annual awards ceremony, celebrated the accomplishments of the United States' swimming team at the Games in Rio de Janeiro, where the team won 33 total medals, its most since 2000.
Olympic rookie Dressel, along with relay teammates Michael Phelps, North Carolina State junior Ryan Held and Nathan Adrian, won Relay Performance of the Year for the United States' gold medal in the men's 400 free relay in Rio. The award is given to the best male or female team relay performance in the finals, with special emphasis on the 2016 Olympic Games. Dressel led off the relay, splitting 48.10 to help Team USA touch first in 3:09.92, ahead of runner-up France and third-place Australia, who had won the event in the 2012 Games.
Dressel's 400 free relay gold was the first of 13 medals Florida would go on to win at the Olympics. He won his second gold as a prelims swimmer in the 400 medley relay, which was also nominated for the relay category.
Three-time Olympian Beisel, who served as one of six elected team captains in Rio, received the inaugural Team Leadership and Inspiration Award. The award, which was voted on by her teammates, honors the athlete who provided excellence in leadership and dedication to Team USA at the 2016 Olympic Games. While Beisel admitted during her acceptance speech that she did not have the performance she was hoping for in Rio (she finished sixth in the women's 400 IM finals on the first day of competition), she continued to encourage and cheer on her teammates in their races for the next week.
"I talked with the Olympic staff, and across the board, they had the highest marks for her," said Florida head coach Gregg Troy back in September. "She swam the first day of the Olympics, the only event she had, and had a slight disappointment in what the result was. They said that very few times they've had a team captain that was as energetic, on top of it and really point on detail of helping the rest of the team and helping other people out. From the standpoint of what should we expect from a Gator that's really on top of things, I think Elizabeth did exactly what we're looking for."
The complete list of the 2016 USA Swimming Golden Goggle Award winners is as follows:
Female Athlete of the Year: Katie Ledecky
Male Athlete of the Year: Michael Phelps
Female Race of the Year: Simone Manuel, women's 100m freestyle (2016 Olympic Games)
Male Race of the Year: Michael Phelps, men's 200m butterfly (2016 Olympic Games)
Relay Performance of the Year: men's 400m free relay (2016 Olympic Games): Caeleb Dressel, Michael Phelps, Ryan Held, Nathan Adrian
Breakout Performer of the Year: Lilly King
Perseverance Award: Anthony Ervin
IMPACT Award: Michael Phelps
Team Leadership & Inspiration Award: Elizabeth Beisel
BEISEL JOINS FOUNDATION'S BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Monday night's Golden Goggles Awards benefited the USA Swimming Foundation, which Elizabeth Beisel has now joined as a member of the Board of Directors. According to its mission statement, the foundation raises funds to support programs that save lives and build champions in the pool and in life. Beisel will be working with the Make a Splash initiative, which promotes water safety and focuses on teaching children how to swim.
The Golden Goggles, USA Swimming's annual awards ceremony, celebrated the accomplishments of the United States' swimming team at the Games in Rio de Janeiro, where the team won 33 total medals, its most since 2000.
Olympic rookie Dressel, along with relay teammates Michael Phelps, North Carolina State junior Ryan Held and Nathan Adrian, won Relay Performance of the Year for the United States' gold medal in the men's 400 free relay in Rio. The award is given to the best male or female team relay performance in the finals, with special emphasis on the 2016 Olympic Games. Dressel led off the relay, splitting 48.10 to help Team USA touch first in 3:09.92, ahead of runner-up France and third-place Australia, who had won the event in the 2012 Games.
The men's 4x100m freestyle relay, winners of Relay Performance of the Year #GoldenGoggles https://t.co/1gqrYviUvx
— USA Swimming (@USASwimming) November 22, 2016
Dressel's 400 free relay gold was the first of 13 medals Florida would go on to win at the Olympics. He won his second gold as a prelims swimmer in the 400 medley relay, which was also nominated for the relay category.
Three-time Olympian Beisel, who served as one of six elected team captains in Rio, received the inaugural Team Leadership and Inspiration Award. The award, which was voted on by her teammates, honors the athlete who provided excellence in leadership and dedication to Team USA at the 2016 Olympic Games. While Beisel admitted during her acceptance speech that she did not have the performance she was hoping for in Rio (she finished sixth in the women's 400 IM finals on the first day of competition), she continued to encourage and cheer on her teammates in their races for the next week.
Congrats to @ebeisel34 on bringing home the first-ever Team Leadership and Inspiration Award! #GoldenGoggles https://t.co/b7cg19PEjM
— USA Swimming (@USASwimming) November 22, 2016
"I talked with the Olympic staff, and across the board, they had the highest marks for her," said Florida head coach Gregg Troy back in September. "She swam the first day of the Olympics, the only event she had, and had a slight disappointment in what the result was. They said that very few times they've had a team captain that was as energetic, on top of it and really point on detail of helping the rest of the team and helping other people out. From the standpoint of what should we expect from a Gator that's really on top of things, I think Elizabeth did exactly what we're looking for."
The complete list of the 2016 USA Swimming Golden Goggle Award winners is as follows:
Female Athlete of the Year: Katie Ledecky
Male Athlete of the Year: Michael Phelps
Female Race of the Year: Simone Manuel, women's 100m freestyle (2016 Olympic Games)
Male Race of the Year: Michael Phelps, men's 200m butterfly (2016 Olympic Games)
Relay Performance of the Year: men's 400m free relay (2016 Olympic Games): Caeleb Dressel, Michael Phelps, Ryan Held, Nathan Adrian
Breakout Performer of the Year: Lilly King
Perseverance Award: Anthony Ervin
IMPACT Award: Michael Phelps
Team Leadership & Inspiration Award: Elizabeth Beisel
BEISEL JOINS FOUNDATION'S BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Monday night's Golden Goggles Awards benefited the USA Swimming Foundation, which Elizabeth Beisel has now joined as a member of the Board of Directors. According to its mission statement, the foundation raises funds to support programs that save lives and build champions in the pool and in life. Beisel will be working with the Make a Splash initiative, which promotes water safety and focuses on teaching children how to swim.
Players Mentioned
Free/Fly
/ Men's Swimming & DivingGator Olympians Homecoming Feature
Friday, November 18
Gator Olympians On-Field Recognition
Tuesday, November 15
Gators Olympics - Rio Olympics Recap
Thursday, August 25
Gators Olympics - Golf Hype Video
Tuesday, August 16
