USA Swimming has announced its nominees for the 2026 Golden Goggle Awards, which will take place in Denver, Colorado, on September 26th, marking the 2nd consecutive year that the event will be held in the Mile High City.
Similar to 2025, there will not be awards given out to the Female or Male Races of the Year, nor will there be a recipient of the Perseverance Award. However, 2026 will mark the return of the Breakout Swimmer of the Year Award, after not having that award in 2025.
Just a few of the nominees include World Record-breakers Kate Douglass and Gretchen Walsh, as well as Van Mathias, who is nominated for both the Male Athlete of the Year and Breakout Performer of the Year. Bob Bowman, who made several new additions to his Texas Pro Group this year, is among four coaches nominated for Coach of the Year, while the world-record-breaking 4×100 mixed medley relay from Pan Pacs is also nominated for the Relay Performance of the Year.
Female Athlete of the Year
Nominees:
All four nominees for the Female Athlete of the Year secured gold in Irvine at Pan Pacs. However, one of the biggest swims of the meet, and the entire calendar year, belonged to Kate Douglass, who shattered her 50 free World Record in 23.19. She also notched a new American Record in the 100 free as the leadoff leg of the 4×100 free relay for Team USA, touching in 51.69, missing the world record mark by just .01 seconds. Walsh, who played hot-potato with the 50 free world record for a short period with Douglass during the season, also lowered her own 100 fly world record in Fort Lauderdale in 54.33.
Berkoff delivered one of the all-time fastest performances in the 50 back in Irvine, clocking a new American Record of 26.90, which ranks her as the 3rd-fastest performer in the history of the event. Katie Ledecky, who has consistently performed at the highest level throughout he illustrious career, secured a win in the 1500 free and added two silver medals to her total in the 400 and 800 free events.
Male Athlete of the Year
Nominees:
Mathias was among the biggest breakout stars in the world this season, notching new American Records in both the 50 breast and 100 breast, culminating in a win in Irvine in the 100 breast, nearly breaking the 58-second barrier at 58.01. Alexy, who has assumed the role of the US’s sprint ace over the last handful of seasons, took home a win in the 100 free in 47.14 and was the 2nd fastest performer of the meet in the 50 free in 21.42.
McCarty, who has steadily grown into a dependable sprinter for the American team, won the men’s 50 back, outlasting Australia’s Isaac Cooper for gold in 24.51. Hobson was an essential piece for the American team in Irvine, delivering a roaring opening leg of1:44.13 on the gold-medal 4×200 free relay, and adding an individual gold in the 200 free in 1:43.85.
Coach of the Year
Nominees:
Bowman’s entire pro group across both domestic and international meets was stellar. DeSorbo had several of his swimmers (including Douglass, Walsh, Sara Curtis, and Anna Moesch) swim major record-breaking times. Holloway continued to show his Wolfpack’s ability to compete among the best in the world, especially in sprint backstrokes, while Ray Looze continued to grow his reputation for developing some of the best breaststroke talent on the planet.
Open Water Swimmer of the Year
Nominees:
At the Pan Pacific Open Water Championships, both Brown (1:50:05) and Puskovitch finished inside the top five, only trailing Germany’s Florian Wellbrock, Mexico’s Paulo Strelhke Delgado, and Italy’s Dario Verani, who made up the podium. On the women’s side, Becca Mann finished just one spot outside of the podium in 1:56.15, only eight seconds slower than bronze medalist Ichika Kajimoto of Japan in 1:56:07. Denigan turned in the 6th-fastest performance of the 10k in 1:58.44.
Relay Performance of the Year
Nominees:
- Mixed 4x100m Medley Relay (Will Modglin, Van Mathias, Gretchen Walsh, Kate Douglass) – World Record
- Men’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay (Luke Hobson, Aaron Shackell, Patrick Sammon, Gabriel Jett)
- Women’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay (Kate Douglass, Gretchen Walsh, Torri Huske, Simone Manuel)
- Men’s 4x100m Medley Relay (Will Modglin, Van Mathias, Luca Urlando, Jack Alexy)
The relay world record fell in the 4×100 mixed medley relay, where the contingent of Modglin, Mathias, Walsh, and Douglass stamped home a powerful 3:36.70, the fastest mixed relay in history. The men’s 4×200 free relay nearly took down the world record of 6:58.55 from 2009, holding off a strong push from the Australian relay to win gold in 6:59.37. Douglass, Walsh, Huske and Manuel banded together to down the Australian women for the first time in the 4×100 free relay since 2017. Modglin, Mathias, Urlando, and Alexy capped off the successful outing on home soil with a big win in the 4×100 medley relay, touching more than a full second ahead of the entire field.
Breakout Performer of the Year
Nominees:
This season was full of breakout performers, from the meteoric rise of the mustached Mathias. Future Texas Longhorn Luka Mijatovic won his first National title in Irvine in the 400 free before going on to win seven gold medals at the Junior Pan Pacific Championships in Vancouver, and Stadden had a stellar backstroke season, whose career resurgence has made her a serious contender at the international level in the backstrokes.
Anna Moesch delivered several eye-popping swims throughout the season as well, initially breaking the American Record in the 100 free at the AP Race London in 51.94, before later bettering that in Irvine at the US National Championships in Irvine in 51.88. McKenzie Siroky made her presence felt in Irvine, first winning the 100 breast at US Nationals in 1:05.64, and then lowering that career best a few weeks later at Pan Pacs, claiming gold in 1:05.64.
Fans can vote using the online ballot, which is open now through Sunday, September 6 at 11:59 PM (Mountain Time).
