Voting begins for 2012 Female and Young Female Athlete of the Year awards

U.S. Soccer has announced the opening of polls for the 2012 Female and Young Female Athlete of the Year awards. Fans can vote for finalists in each category on U.S. Soccer’s Facebook page throughout the week. The winners will be announced Monday, Dec. 3.

• Vote Now on U.S. Soccer’s Official Page on Facebook
• Read ussoccer.com Bios Athlete of the Year Nominees: Female | Young Female

The list of Female Athlete of the Year finalists includes three previous winners: midfielder Carli Lloyd (2008), goalkeeper Hope Solo (2009) and Abby Wambach (2003, 2004, 2007, 2010 and 2011). The past winners are joined by first-time nominees midfielder Megan Rapinoe and forward Alex Morgan.

Goalkeeper Jane Campbell, midfielder Vanessa DiBernardo, defender Crystal Dunn, defender Julie Johnston and forward Kealia Ohai all earn their first nominations for Young Female Athlete of the Year. Nominees must be age eligible for any of the Youth National Teams and can only win the award once in their career.

The U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year awards are the oldest and most prestigious awards of their kind, dating back to 1984 for the men and 1985 for the women, while the Young Male and Young Female awards were added in 1998. This was the first year U.S. Soccer named a Disabled Athlete of the Year.

Online votes for the Athlete of the Year awards are equivalent to 50 percent of the total votes. As in years past, the other 50 percent will be represented by votes compiled from members of the national media and U.S. Soccer representatives (from National Team coaches to the National Board of Directors).

U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year Finalists
Carli Lloyd, Midfielder
Alex Morgan, Forward
Megan Rapinoe, Midfielder
Hope Solo, Goalkeeper
Abby Wambach, Forward

U.S. Soccer Young Female Athlete of the Year Finalists
Jane Campbell, Goalkeeper
Vanessa DiBernardo, Midfielder
Crystal Dunn, Defender
Julie Johnston, Defender
Kealia Ohai, Forward