The Sportswoman of the Year Award is presented to two athletes, one in team sport and one individual sport, whose performance over the last year has been exceptional. Criteria include championships won, records set and awards received.

Long, 15, a bilateral below-the-knee amputee, had a spectacular 2006-2007 season, highlighted by her performance at the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Swimming World Championships in Durban, South Africa in December, where she won nine gold medals (MEDALS) and set five world records in the S8 classification: 100m freestyle (1:07.03), 400m freestyle (4:53.14), 100m butterfly (1:13.25), 200m Individual Medley (2:43.60) and the 34-point 4x100m freestyle relay.

This year, Long became the first Paralympic athlete to win the AAU James E. Sullivan Award, presented to the U.S’s best amateur athlete. Long has also been honored as the U.S. Olympic Committee's 2006 Paralympian of the Year and Swimming World Magazine's 2006 Disabled Swimmer of the Year.

The voting public and members of the Women’s Sports Foundation will select the winners at www.sportswomanvote.com by midnight August 31st so be sure to cast your vote for Jessica Long. The winner will be announced in October.

For more information, please contact Beth Bourgeois, U.S. Paralympics, at (719)866-2039 or beth.bourgeois@usoc.org.

About U.S. Paralympics:
U.S. Paralympics, a division of the U.S. Olympic Committee, is dedicated to becoming the world leader in the Paralympic sports movement and to promoting excellence in the lives of persons with physical disabilities. Visit the U.S. Paralympics website at www.usparalympics.org.