ESPY nominees

Best Male Athlete
Tiger Woods, Golf. Earned his 14th major title by winning the 2008 U.S. Open. Joined Jack Nicklaus as the only players to win each major three-or-more times. Won seven 2007 and four 2008 PGA Tour events.
Tom Brady, New England Patroits. NFL MVP. Led the Patroits to an NFL-first 16-0 regular season. Set the NFL single-season record for touchdown passes (50).
Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers. NBA MVP. Finished second in scoring during regular season (28.3 PPG). Led the Los Angeles Lakers to a berth in the NBA Finals.
Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees. AL MVP. Led the majors in runs (143), home runs (54) and RBI (156). Finished the season with a .314 batting average.

Best Female Athlete
Lorena Ochoa, Golf. Won a second-straight Rolex Player of the Year, Vare Trophy. Became the first LPGA golfer to earn over $4M in a single season. Ranked No. 1 in the world.
Danica Patrick, Auto Racing. Became the first female winner in IndyCar history, taking the Indy Japan 300. Posted four top-five 2007 finishes. Won in her 50th career IndyCar start.
Candace Parker, Tennessee Women's Basketball/ LA Sparks, WNBA. Won AP Women's College Basketball Player of the Year and Naismith Award. Averaged 21.3 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, winning second straight NCAA championship. Selected No. 1 overall in the WNBA draft.
Lindsey Vonn, Skiing. Won the 2008 overall skiing championship. Became the first American woman to win the World Cup overall since Tamara McKinney in 1983. Became only the second American woman to win the World Cup Downhill title.

Best Team
Super Bowl XLII Champion New York Giants. Upset the New England Patroits to win the Super Bowl. Marched to the championship as a Wild Card team after losing six regular season games. Set the NFL record for consecutive road wins (11).
World Series Champion Boston Red Sox. Ended the regular season with 96 wins, tied for the best record in baseball. Won the World Series with a four-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies. Earned a second championship in four years.
NCAA Men's Basketball Champion Kansas Jayhawks. Finished the season with a 37-3 record, winning their last 13 games of the season. Won the program's first national championship since 1988 and third in school's history. Won the Big 12 tournament.
NCAA Women's Basketball Champion Tennessee Lady Vols. Earned a second consecutive NCAA championship. Marked the school's eighth women's basketball national championship. Finished the season with a 36-2 record and SEC tournament championship.
Boston Celtics. Won their 17th championship by beating the Los Angeles Lakers in six games in the Finals. Enjoyed 42-game improvement (24 wins in 2006-07 and 66 wins during the 2007-2008 regular season). Had the best record during the NBA regular season (66-16).
Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings. Captured an 11th Stanley Cup and 4th since 1996-1997. Won their sixth Presidents' Trophy as the NHL's top regular-season club. Became the first team to lead the NHL in points and win Stanley Cup since 2001-02 (also Detroit).

Best Championship Performance
Venus Williams at Wimbledon 2007. Became the lowest seed (23rd) to win Wimbledon. Beat three top-six seeds (Sharapova, Kuznetsova and Ivanovic) en route to the championship. Won her fourth Wimbledon singles crown.
Josh Beckett during MLB Playoffs. Amassed a 4-0 postseason record with a 1.20 ERA. Registered 35 strikeouts and two walks in 30 innings pitched. Allowed one earned run with nine strikeouts in seven innings in his World Series Game 1 win.
Rafael Nadal at 2008 French Open. Became the first men's singles player since 1980 to win the French Open without losing a set. Had seven unforced errors and lost just four games in the final. Beat five seeded players en route to the title (including Federer and Djokovic).
Tiger Woods at 2008 U.S. Open. Walked 91 holes with an ACL injury and a double stress fracture of his left tibia. Made birdie on the 72nd hole to set up an 18-hole playoff against Rocco Mediate. Claimed his 14th career major title.

Best Breakthrough Athlete
Stephen Curry, Davidson Basketball. Totaled 128 points in four NCAA Tournament games, including three straight 30-point performances. Led the Davidson Wildcats to their first Elite Eight appearance since 1969. Helped his team defeat three higher-ranked seeds, before falling to Kansas.
Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings. Set the NFL single-game rushing record (296 yards). Led the NFC in rushing with 1,341 yards. 2007 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Kyle Busch, NASCAR. Recorded five 2008 Sprint Cup wins (through July 1, 2008). Leads the 2008 Sprint Cup points race (through July 1, 2008). Had won four Sprint Cup races in the previous four years.
Ana Ivanovic, Women's Tennis. Earned her first Grand Slam singles title, winning the 2008 French Open. Lost just one set en route to that championship. Moved into the No. 1 spot in the world rankings in 2008.

Best Record-Breaking Performance
Barry Bonds, San Francisco Giants. Broke Hank Aaron's all-time home run record (755). Hit number 756 off of Washington Nationals pitcher Mike Bacsik. Now has 762 career home runs.
Tom Brady & Randy Moss, New England Patroits. Assembled dual record-breaking seasons with the New England Patroits. Brady breaking Peyton Manning's single season mark for touchdown passes (49) with 50. Moss breaking Jerry Rice's single season touchdown reception record (22) with 23.
Brett Favre, Green Bay Packers. Broke Dan Marino's career mark for touchdown passes. Threw the record-breaking 421st touchdown to Greg Jennings in a September 2007 win over Minnesota. Retired with 442 career touchdown passes.
Usain Bolt, Sprinter. Broke the world record in 100-meters running 9.72 seconds at the Reebok Grand Prix. Broke the record previously held by Asafa Powell in September 2007. Was running the 100-meters for just the fifth time when he set the world record.

Best Upset
College Football: Appalachian State stuns Michigan. Blocked a last second field goal to conclude a shocking season-opener. Won on the road before over 100,000 fans in Ann Arbor. Became the first FCS team (formerly I-AA) to beat a top five team.
Super Bowl XLII: New York Giants upset New England Patroits. The Patroits entered the game 18-0, while the Giants entered as a Wild Card team with six losses. The Giants ended the Patroits' perfect season with a late touchdown to win the Super Bowl. Eli Manning hit Plaxico Burress for the game winning touchdown with :35 seconds to go.
College World Series: Fresno State beats Georgia. Became the lowest-seeded team ever to win the College World Series. Became the lowest-seeded team ever to reach the championship round of any NCAA tournament sport. Beat Georgia to win only the second NCAA championship, in any sport, in the school's history.
Belmont Stakes: Longshot Da' Tara (38-1) wins. Upset Triple Crown candidate Big Brown (A 1-4 favorite) to win the the Belmont Stakes. Da' Tara entered the race as a 38-1 longshot, but pulled off the unexpected upset.

Best Moment
Great Sportsmanship: Central Washington vs. Western Oregon Softball. Sara Tucholsky of Western Oregon, hit her first career home run. After injuring her knee tagging first base, she was carried around the bases by Central Washington players. The act contributed to Central Washington's own elimination from playoff contention.
No-Hitter: Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester. Less than two years after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma, threw a no-hitter. Threw 130 pitches, recording nine strikeouts and two walks in no-hitter. Became first Red Sox lefthander to throw a no-hitter since 1956.
First female IndyCar winner: Danica Patrick. Became the first female winner in IndyCar history, taking the Indy Japan 300. Finished 5.8594 seconds ahead of pole-sitter Helio Castroneves. At 26 years-old, she won in her 50th career IndyCar start.

Best Game
Super Bowl XLII: Giants over Patroits. The New York Giants beat the New England Patroits, 17-14. The Giants rallied to take the lead twice in the fourth quarter. A fourth consecutive Giants' postseason road win marked the first Patroits' loss in over a year.
NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Kansas over Memphis. The Kansas Jayhawks trailed 60-51 with 2:12 left in regulation, but closed the second-half with a 12-3 run. Mario Chalmers made a three-pointer with two seconds left in regulation to send the game to overtime. Kansas then came away with a 75-68 overtime victory.
NBA Finals, Game 4: Celtics over Lakers. The Boston Celtics rallied from a 24-point deficit to beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 97-91. Down 35-14 after the first quarter, the Celtics became the first team in Finals history to overcome more than a 15-point first period deficit. Gave Doc Rivers' squad a 3-1 series lead en route to the championship.

Best Play
Super Bowl: Eli Manning to David Tyree. On third-and-five from the Giants 44-yard line, Eli Manning got out of the grasp of the Patroits' defense, connecting on a pass to a leaping David Tyree. The 32-yard completion gave the Giants a first down at the Patroits' 24-yard line.
Misssissippi Miracle. Division III Trinity University used 15 laterals after a completed pass on the final play of the game. The play resulted in an unlikely touchdown and a 28-24 victory over stunned Millsaps. Nicknamed the "Mississippi Miracle," seven different Trinity players touched the ball, including two offensive linemen.
Nash Shoots and Scores. Columbus Blue Jackets' Rick Nash, made several moves to score a phenomenal game-winning goal at Phoenix. He took a long outlet pass from Michael Peca just outside the Phoenix blue line before out maneuvering two defensemen. Then faked goaltender Mikael Tellqvist to the ice and fired into the open left side of the net for the score.
Big Ten Stunner. Minnesota's Blake Hoffarber scored on a length-of-the-court pass. Stunned favored Indiana in the Big Ten tournament. This marks his second ESPYs nomination (Winner of 2005 Best Play, as a high school player).

Best Sports Movie
Resurrecting the Champ. An up-and-coming sports reporter rescues a homeless man nicknamed "Champ." The reporter discovers that Champ is, in fact, a boxing legend previously believed to have passed away. Starring: Samuel L. Jackson and Josh Hartnett.
The Game Plan. An NFL quarterback is living the bachelor lifestyle. He discovers he has an eight-year-old daughter from a previous relationship. Starring: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.
Semi Pro. Jackie Moon is the owner-coach-player of the ABA Flint Michigan Tropics. He rallies his teammates to make their NBA dreams come true. Starring: Will Ferrell and Woody Harrelson.
Leatherheads. A romantic comedy is set in the world of 1920s football. The owner of a pro team drafts a strait-laced college star, only to see his new coach fall for his fiancee. Starring: George Clooney and Renee Zellweger.

Best Coach/Manager
Tom Coughlin, New York Giants. Led the New York Giants to Super Bowl championship. Set a record with 11 straight road wins.
Terry Francona, Boston Red Sox. Led the Boston Red Sox to its second World Series championship in four years. With a 96-66 record (.593), had the second highest win total for a Red Sox manager in the last 29 years. Tied for major-league regular season high in wins.
Pat Summitt, Tennessee Women's Basketball. Earned her eighth national championship. Led the Tennessee Lady Vols to 36-2 record. Currently has 983 career wins.
Doc Rivers, Boston Celtics. Led the Boston Celtics to its first NBA championship since 1986. Orchestrated a 42-game turnaround (24 wins in 2006-2007 to 66 in 2007-08 regular season).

Best Finish
McMurray Edges Busch. Jamie McMurray beat Kyle Busch at Daytona International Speedway to win the Pepsi 400. They appeared to touch several times on their final lap with McMurray edging out Busch. McMurray crossed the finish line a mere 0.005 seconds ahead of Busch.
Hilltoppers Advance. Western Kentucky defeated Drake in 1st round of the NCAA men's basketball tournament on a buzzer beater. Ty Rogers hit a desperation 26-foot 3-pointer with three defenders in his face and no time on the clock.
Spurs Prevail. Michael Finley scored to send the game into overtime. Tim Duncan scored his first three-pointer of the season to send it into a second overtime. Steve Nash hit a last minute three-pointer, but Manu Ginobili answered, scoring the game winner with 1.8 seconds remaining in the second overtime.
Penguins Stay Alive. Penguins beat the Red Wings, 4-3, in three overtime periods. Maxime Talbot scored with 35 seconds left in regulation to extend the series and send it into overtime. Marc-Andre Fleury made 55 saves and Petr Sykora scored the game winning goal.

HUMMER LIKE NOTHING ELSE Award
Manny Ramirez, Boston Red Sox. Made catch against left-field wall, high fived a fan, and doubled off a runner at first base.
Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins. Scored an OT goal outdoors in the snow against the Sabres in Buffalo on New Year's Day.
Ashley Force, NHRA Race Car Driver. Became the first female to win an NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Funny Car event. Beat her dad, 14-time Funny Car champion John Force, to win the NHRA Southern Nationals in Atlanta.
George Martin, Former NFL Player. Walked over 3,200 miles and raised over $2M to support Ground Zero rescue and recovery workers in New York. Began in September 2007 and finished in June 2008.

Best NFL Player
Tom Brady, New England Patroits. NFL MVP. Led the Patroits to an NFL-first 16-0 regular season. Set the NFL single-season record for touchdown passes (50).
Randy Moss, New England Patroits. Caught 98 passes for 1,493 yards. Set the single-season record for touchdown receptions with 23. Had eight regular-season games with multiple touchdown receptions.
Eli Manning, New York Giants. Led Giants to the Super Bowl championship. Threw six touchdown passes and only one interception during the postseason.
LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego Chargers. Led the NFL in rushing with 1,474 yards. Scored 15 rushing touchdowns.
Bob Sanders, Indianapolis Colts. Totaled 132 tackles and 3.5 sacks. Named Associated Press NFL Defensive Player-of-the-Year.
Brett Favre, Green Bay Packers. Completed 66.5 percent of his passes. Threw for 4,155 yards and 28 touchdowns. Led the Packers to NFC title game.

Best NBA Player
LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers. Led the NBA in scoring (30 PPG) becoming the second youngest player in NBA history to do so. Became the third player in NBA history to average at least 30 PPG, 7.9 RPG and 7.2 APG.
Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers. NBA MVP. Finished second in scoring during regular season (28.3 PPG). Led the Los Angeles Lakers to a berth in the NBA Finals.
Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets. Became the first player to lead the NBA in assists and steals while averaging at least 20 PPG. Led the Hornets to the second-best record in Western Conference and a +17 game improvement.
Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic. Led the NBA in double-doubles (69). Averaged 20.9 points per game and 38 minutes per game. Led the NBA in rebounds per game (14.2).
Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics. Led Celtics to a NBA-record +42 game improvement. Averaged 18.2 points per game and 13.2 rebounds per game during the NBA Finals. Named NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

Best Baseball Player
Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees. AL MVP. Led the majors in runs (143), home runs (54) and RBI (156). Finished the season with a .314 batting average.
Josh Beckett, Boston Red Sox. Was the only pitcher in the major leagues with 20 wins in 2007. Went 4-0 in the postseason with a 1.20 ERA. Registered 35 strikeouts with only two walks in 30 postseason innings pitched.
Jimmy Rollins, Philadelphia Phillies. NL MVP. Hit 30 home runs with 94 RBI. Stole 41 bases.
Jake Peavy, San Diego Padres. NL Cy Young award winner. Finished the season with a 19-6 record. Registered a 2.54 ERA with 240 strikeouts in 223.1 innings pitched.
C.C. Sabathia, Cleveland Indians. AL Cy Young award winner. Finished the season with 19-7 record. Registered a 3.21 ERA.

Best NHL Player
Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals. NHL MVP. Led the league in scoring (112 points) and goals (65). Set the NHL single-season record for goals by a left wing.
Jarome Iginla, Calgary Flames. One of only three players to score 50 goals during the 2007-08 regular season. Scored 50-goals for the second time in his career. Recorded a career-best 98 points (50 goals, 48 assists) in 82 games.
Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins. Finished second in the NHL in scoring with 106 points (47 goals, 59 assists) in 82 games. Recorded a +16 regular season plus/minus rating.
Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins. Totaled 72 points in 53 regular season games. Recorded a +18 season plus/minus rating. Captained the Penguins to the Stanley Cup Finals with 27 points in 20 playoff games.
Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings. Led the NHL with a +41 plus/minus rating. Finished fourth in NHL in scoring (97 points). Won the Selke Award as NHL's top defensive forward and Lady Byng Trophy for sportsmanship.

Best Male College Athlete
Tim Tebow, Florida Football. Won the Heisman trophy. Became the first college football player to throw and run for 20+ touchdowns in the same season. Threw 32 touchdown passes with only six interceptions.
Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina Basketball. Named 2007-2008 Collegiate Player of the Year by the Associated Press, the NABC, and USBWA. Won the Wooden and Naismith Awards. Averaged 22.6 ppg, 10.2 rpg with a 54 field goal percentage.
Michael Beasley, Kansas State Basketball. Finished the season third in Division I scoring (26.2 PPG) and first in rebounding (12.4 RPG). Registered 30+ points and 10+ rebounds on 13 occasions during season. No. 2 overall pick in the NBA Draft.

Best Female College Athlete
Candace Parker, Tennessee Basketball. Led the Lady Vols to their second straight NCAA championship. Averaged 21.3 points and 8.5 rebounds in 38 games during 2007-08 season. Led her team to a 36-2 record.
Angela Tincher, Virginia Tech Softball. Maintained the nation's lowest ERA (0.63), with a nation-leading 13.8 strikeouts per seven innings. Finished her career third on the all-time NCAA strikeout list. Led her team to its first-ever NCAA College World Series, after a 38-10 record.
Rachel Dawson, North Carolina Field Hockey. Earned National Player of the Year and ACC Tournament MVP honors. Led her North Carolina to the NCAA championship scoring 19 goals in their 24-0 season. Named ACC Defensive Player of the year for a second time.

Best Bowler
Walter Ray Williams Jr. Led all PBA bowlers in average (228.34). Made eight championship round appearances (tied for second).
Chris Barnes. Made a PBA-high nine championship round appearances. Cashed in all 21 events he participated in.
Norm Duke. Led all PBA bowlers in earnings ($176,855). Became only the second bowler in history to win the four Grand Slam events in his career.

Best Fighter
Kelly Pavlik, Boxer. Scored seventh-round TKO over Jermain Taylor for the middleweight championship. Beat Taylor a second time in a non-title bout. Beat Gary Lockett in a middleweight title defense.
Floyd Mayweather, Boxer. Defeated previously-unbeaten Ricky Hatton on 10th round TKO. Improved his career record to 43-0 with the victory over Hatton in the WBC welterweight title bout.
Joe Calzaghe, Boxer. Crowned undisputed world super-middleweight champion with a unanimous decision over Dane Mikkel Kessler. Recorded his 21st WBO title defense while adding Kessler's WBA and WBC belts to his collection. Followed it all up with a victory over Bernard Hopkins.
Holly Holm, Boxer. Defeated previously-unbeaten Mary Jo Sanders. Defeated Belinda Laracuente in a 10-round unanimous decision for the IFBA welterweight title.
George St. Pierre, MMA. Regained the UFC welterweight championship with a TKO of Matt Serra. Sports a 16-2 record.

Best Driver
Jimmie Johnson. Won his second straight Nextel Cup championship in 2007, beating out Jeff Gordon. Recorded 10 victories, four pole awards, 20 top-five finishes and 24 top-10 finishes.
Kyle Busch. Started off 2008 with five NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins by July 1st. Leading 2008 Sprint Cup points race (through July 1st). Had won four Sprint Cup races in previous four years.
Dario Franchitti. IndyCar champion. Recorded 12 top-five finishes in 2007 and became the only IndyCar driver to finish in the top seven of every race.
Lewis Hamilton. 2007 F-1 runner-up. Finished the 2007 season with four victories, 12 podium finishes and six pole positions.
Scott Dixon. Won the 2008 Indianapolis 500. Posted four IndyCar wins, finishing second in 2007 IndyCar points race.
Tony Schumacher. For the second season in a row, clinched the World Championship title with final pass in last race of 2007. Won his fourth straight World Championship, a POWERade Series Top Fuel record.

Best Female Action Sports Athlete
Gretchen Bleiler, Snowboarding. Won superpipe gold medal at 2008 Winter X Games. Won halfpipe at 2007 World Cup in Lake Placid also winning at 2007 Grand Prix, Tamarack and 2007 Breckenridge Grand Prix.
Jessica Patterson, Motocross. Won the 2007 Women's Motocross Association title.
Stephanie Gilmore, Surfing. At age 19, became the first surfer ever to win an ASP world title in rookie season. Recorded four 2007 Elite Tour victories.
Lindsey Jacobellis, Snowboarding. Returned fueled by disappointments at the 2006 Winter Olympics and 2007 Winter X Games to dominate boardercross circuit. Won gold medal at the 2008 Winter X Games and her second consecutive SBX World Championship in 2007.

Best Male Action Sports Athlete
Shaun White, Skateboarding, Snowboarding. First X athlete to have won gold in Summer and Winter X Games. Won skateboard vert competition in summer and snowboard superpipe in winter.
Kevin Robinson, BMX. Defended his Gold medal on the BMX Big Air ramp. Selected as X Games 13 Most Outstanding Athlete.
Chad Reed, Supercross. Dominated the 2008 AMA SuperCross circuit. Won nine races, earning the overall AMA World Champion Title.
Kevin Pearce, Snowboarding. Medaled twice (silver and bronze) at Winter X Games 12. Won the Arctic Challenge and Burton European Open.

Best Female Athlete With A Disability
Patty Cisneros, Basketball. Captained the U.S. women's wheelchair basketball team to win the Parapan American Games. Helped the U.S. squad win 2008 North American Cup.
Jessica Galli, Track and Field. Set the world record in the Women's Wheelchair 200-, 400- and 800-meters.
Susan Beth Scott, Swimming. Set a world record in the 400-meter freestyle at the 2008 U.S. Swimming Trials.
Shay Oberg, Softball. Born without a left hand, started in center field and switch-hit. Finished the season with three home runs, 13 RBI and a .280 average.

Best Male Athlete With A Disability
Matt Scott, Basketball. His defensive stop helped lead the U.S. Men's Wheelchair Basketball Team to gold in the Paralympic Pan-Am Games against Canada. Led the team with 13 total steals for the six-game tournament.
Phil Scholz, Swimming. Set American swimming records for the 50-meter butterfly, 800-meter freestyle and 1500-meter freestyle.
Marthell Vazquez, Soccer. Named MVP of the 2007 World Soccer Championships in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Led the U.S. team in scoring, notching four goals in the tournament.
Ryan Kocer, Wrestling. Lost his leg (below the knee) during football season leaving him with only a few months to prepare for wrestling season. The three-time defending state champion qualified for the state tournament again and managed a fourth place finish.

Best Female Tennis Player
Justine Henin. Won 10 tournaments in 2007 including the U.S. Open. Finished 2007 as the No. 1 ranked player in the world. Retired in 2008 while still holding No. 1 ranking.
Maria Sharapova. Won 2008 Australian Open without losing a set. Totaled three tournament wins in first four months of 2008. Spent time ranked at No. 1 in the world in 2008.
Ana Ivanovic. Earned her first Grand Slam singles title winning 2008 French Open. Lost just one set in winning French Open. Moved into No. 1 spot in the world in 2008.

Best Male Tennis Player
Roger Federer. Won both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 2007. Finished 2007 as the No. 1 ranked player in the world for the fourth straight year. Earned over $10M in prize money with a 68-9 match record in 2007.
Rafael Nadal. Recorded a 70-15 match record in 2007. Won his fourth straight French Open in 2008. Did not lose a set during the 2008 French Open.
Novak Djokovic. Won the 2008 Australian Open. Moved up to No. 3 in the world rankings.
Bob and Mike Bryan. Ranked No. 1 doubles team in the world. Combined to post 77-9 doubles record for the 2007 season.

Best Track and Field Athlete
Tyson Gay, Sprinter. Beat Asafa Powell in the 100-meters at the World Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Won three gold medals at the Worlds. Ran a wind-aided 9.68 seconds to win the 100 final at the 2008 U.S. Olympic track and field trials.
Allyson Felix, Sprinter. Became the second woman to win three golds at World Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 2007. Ran the 200-meters in 21.81 seconds - the fastest time run by a woman this century.
Jeremy Wariner, Sprinter. Won the 400-meter and 1600-meter relays at the World Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Posted a personal-best of 43.45 seconds in the 400-meters at that event. Ranked No. 1 in the world in the 400-meters for four straight years.
Usain Bolt, Sprinter. Ran a 9.72-second 100-meters, establishing a new world record at the Reebok Grand Prix. Shattered a record previously held by Asafa Powell.

Best Golfer
Tiger Woods. Won the inaugural FedEx Cup, while leading the PGA Tour in scoring and earnings. Became the sixth player to win at least three U.S. Opens. Won seven PGA Tour events in 2007 and four in 2008.
Lorena Ochoa. Won a second-straight Rolex Player of the Year, Vare Trophy. Became the first LPGA golfer to earn over $4M in a single season. Ranked No. 1 in the world.
Phil Mickelson. Won three tournaments in 2007. Ranked No. 2 in the world. Won two tournaments early in the 2008 season.
Annika Sorenstam. Won three tournaments and posted eight top 10 finishes in her first 11 starts on the 2008 LPGA Tour. Finished second in LPGA world ranking. Recorded six top-ten finishes in just 13 2007 events.

Best Jockey
Kent Desormeaux. Rode Big Brown to victory in the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness in 2008.
Garrett Gomez. Rode 266 winners in 2007 with his purses exceeding $23.8M.
Robby Albarado. Rode Curlin to victory in Breeders Cup Classic. Rode 253 winners in 2007 with his purses exceeding $19.3M.

Best Outdoor Athlete
Lance Mackey, Dog Musher. Won back-to-back Iditarods (2007 and 2008) and a fourth consecutive Yukon Quest (2005-08). Made history as the only musher to ever win both races in same year. Conquered neck cancer (2001) and is now cancer free.
David Hahn, Mountain Climber. Reached the summit of Mount Everest for the 10th time May 25, 2008 setting a record for American climbers. Holds the record for most summits of Vinson Massif (Antartica's highest point: 16,050 ft.) with 25.
Skip Storch, Marathon Swimmer. Completed a record swim, circling the island of Manhattan three times in 32:52:30. Beat the previous record by 00:37:30 while setting the record for two trips (20:56:17). After the swim he was briefly hospitalized for muscle tears, abrasions and hypothermia.
Captain Scott Smiley, Mountain Climber. Believed to be the only blind person to climb Mount Raineer. Accomplished the feat after being blinded by a roadside bomb in Mosul, Iraq. Named the Army Times Soldier of the Year in 2007.
Skeet Reese, Angler. Earned the 2007 B.A.S.S. Toyota Tundra Angler of the Year. Won three 2007 Bassmaster events.

Best MLS Player
Juan Pablo Angel, New York Red Bulls. Scored 19 goals in 24 regular season games in 2007. Finalist for the 2007 MLS MVP and Newcomer of the Year in 2007.
David Beckham, LA Galaxy. Logged four goals and six assists in first 12 games of 2008 season.
Landon Donovan, LA Galaxy. Totaled eight regular season goals and 13 assists in 2007 regular season. Scored 11 goals in the first 10 games to start the 2008 season.
Luciano Emilio, DC United. MLS MVP. Led MLS with 20 goals in the 2007 regular season.
Matt Reis, New England Revolution. Compiled a 1.43 goals-against-average with 10 shutouts in 2007. Started all 30 games in 2007.
Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Chicago Fire. Registered four goals and seven assists in 14 regular season games. Was a finalist for the MLS MVP award.

Best WNBA Player
Lauren Jackson, Seattle Storm. WNBA MVP. Led the league in scoring (23.8 PPG) and rebounding (9.7 RPG). Tied the WNBA record for most points in a game (47).
Diana Taurasi, Phoenix Mercury. Finished third in the WNBA in scoring (19.2 PPG). Scored 37 points in a game (vs. Houston on May 25, 2007). Led the Mercury to the WNBA championship.
Becky Hammon, San Antonio Silver Stars. Finished second in WNBA MVP voting. Ended the season fifth in the WNBA in scoring (18.8 PPG) and second in FT percentage (93.1). Led San Antonio to a seven-game improvement and its first playoff berth.
Seimone Augustus, Minnesota Lynx. Finished second in the WNBA in scoring in 2007 (22.6 PPG). Shot 50.8 percent from the field during 2007 season.

Best International Male Athlete
Rafael Nadal, Tennis. Recorded a 70-15 match record in 2007. Won his fourth straight French Open in 2008. Did not lose a set during 2008 French Open.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Soccer. Scored 31 goals in 34 appearances for Manchester United during the 2007-08 season.
Manu Ginobili, Basketball. Averaged 19.5 PPG and 4.8 RPG during 2007-08 NBA regular season. Won the NBA's Sixth Man award.
Kaka, Soccer. Earned the FIFA Best Male Soccer Player for the 2007 season.

Best International Female Athlete
Justine Henin, Tennis. Won 10 tournaments in 2007 including the U.S. Open. Finished 2007 as the No. 1 ranked player in the world. Retired in 2008 while still holding No. 1 ranking.
Lorena Ochoa, Golf. Won a second-straight Rolex Player of the Year, Vare Trophy. Became the first LPGA golfer to earn over $4M in a single season. Ranked No. 1 in the world.
Marta, Soccer. Scored a brilliant goal in World Cup semifinal win over the U.S. 2007 FIFA women's Player of the Year.
Lauren Jackson, Basketball. WNBA MVP. Led the league in scoring (23.8 PPG) and rebounding (9.7 RPG). Tied the WNBA record for most points in a game (47).