Tim Binning/TheSwimPictures.com
Fans can vote for Ryan Murphy at ESPN.com/ESPYS
MSWIM6/21/2017 8:08 PM | By: Cal Athletics
Murphy Nominated For ESPY Award
BERKELEY - Three gold medals and a world record at the 2016 Rio Olympics pushed
Ryan Murphy to the forefront of international swimming and now fans have a chance to vote for him as the Best Male U.S. Olympic Athlete at the 2017 ESPYSÂ .
The show is scheduled for July 12 at 5 p.m. (PT) and will be broadcast live on ABC and WatchESPN.com. Murphy is nominated alongside fellow swimmer Michael Phelps, decathlon star Ashton Eaton and wrestler Kyle Snyder. Fan voting for the award is now underway and can be found at
ESPN.com/ESPYS.
Murphy's first Olympic appearance established the Ponte Vedra, Fla. native as one of the stars of the Rio Games as he won both the 100 and 200-meter backstroke to claim his first two Olympic gold medals. He wrapped up his stay in Rio with another gold medal as he teamed with Phelps, Cody Miller and fellow Golden Bear Nathan Adrian to win the 400 medley relay. In the process, Murphy's leadoff leg of the relay set the world record in the 100 backstroke, breaking Aaron Peirsol's mark set in 2009.
After returning from Rio, Murphy closed out his undergraduate career by finishing a career sweep in the backstroke events at the NCAA Championships with wins in both the 100 and 200. He earned Pac-12 Swimmer of the Year honors for the third year in a row and earned the Tom Hansen Conference Medal from the Pac-12 as Cal's top senior male athlete. He was equally accomplished in the classroom, earning the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year award for men's swimming as well as being named first team Academic All-American by the College Sports Information Directors of America.
Â