MADISON, Wis. – Phoebe Bacon of the Wisconsin women's swim and dive team has been chosen as a semifinalist for the 95^th AAU James E. Sullivan Award, announced by the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU).
 
Bacon is one-of-39 athletes to be chosen as a semi-finalist to the prestigious James E. Sullivan Award. The Sullivan Award is presented to the most exceptional athlete at the collegiate, Olympic, or other similarly elite level in the United States. It honors athletic excellence and recognizes the chosen athlete's character and honors their quality of leadership, citizenship, and sportsmanship.
 
Phoebe Bacon is a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, majoring in health promotion and health equity. A two-time Olympian, Bacon earned a fourth-place finish in the Paris 2024 Summer Games in the 200m backstroke, missing the bronze medal by four one-hundredths of a second. The Maryland native, placed fifth in the 200m backstroke in the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Bacon has culminated an impressive resume during her time at UW. She claimed NCAA Championships in the 200 backstroke her freshman and senior seasons, she was named the 2021 Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Additionally, she was named the 2021 and 2022 Big Ten Champion in the 100 and 200 backstroke. 

In 2017, Wisconsin volleyball's, Lauren Carlini, was named the 2017 AAU James E. Sullivan Award winner. Carlini was the first UW student-athlete to win the prestigious award as well as the first volleyball player, male or female, to win.

 To move onto the finalist's stage, there will be a one-week voting period open to the public on Tuesday, February 18 and close February 25. Fans can vote HERE.
 
A full list of the semifinalists to the award can be seen HERE.