King, Koepka named Sports Academy June Athletes of the Month

USSA.edu
Posted 7/16/18

American golfer Brooks Koepka and softball player Meghan King have been named the United States Sports Academy’s Male and Female Athletes of the Month for June. Koepka became ...

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Subscribe to continue reading. Already a subscriber? Sign in

Get the gift of local news. All subscriptions 50% off for a limited time!

You can cancel anytime.
 

Please log in to continue

Log in

King, Koepka named Sports Academy June Athletes of the Month

Posted

DAPHNE, Ala – American golfer Brooks Koepka and softball player Meghan King have been named the United States Sports Academy’s Male and Female Athletes of the Month for June.

Koepka became the first player in 29 years to repeat as U.S. Open champion with a win in the tournament at Shinnecock Hills in Long Island, N.Y., on June 17. Koepka shot a 1-over-par 281 to win the title.

King was dominant pitching for Florida State as the Seminoles won the Women’s College World Series (WCWS) in June 2018 in Oklahoma City, Okla. King set a WCWS record for lowest ERA among pitchers with at least 10 innings at .20, earned four wins and a save, and gave up just one earned run in 34 1/3 innings of work.

The second-place finisher on the men’s side was English soccer player Harry Kane and third place went to American basketball player Kevin Durant.

Kane recorded a hat-trick – three goals – in a 6-1 win for England against Panama in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia on June 24. Kane led all World Cup scorers in the Group Phase with five goals.

Golden State’s Durant won his second consecutive NBA Finals MVP honor after averaging a double-double – 28.8 points and 10.8 rebounds – in the Warriors’ four-game sweep against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He is the eleventh player in NBA history to win Finals MVP honors twice in a career.

The second place finisher on the women’s side was Romanian tennis player Simona Halep and third place went to American runner Shelby Houlihan.

Romania’s Halep defeated American Sloane Stephens 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 to win the French Open on June 9. It was the first Grand Slam title for Halep, the world’s top-ranked female player.

Houlihan became just the second woman in history to win both the 5,000-meter and 1,500-meter races in the USA Track and Field (USATF) Outdoor Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, on June 24. She was also the only athlete to win two events at nationals and is the only woman to win both races in the same year since Regina Jacobs in 2000.

Each month, the public is invited to participate in the Academy’s worldwide Athlete of the Month program by nominating athletes and then voting online during the first week of every month. The online votes are used to guide the Academy selection committee in choosing the male and female monthly winners, who then become eligible for selection to the prestigious Athlete of the Year ballot.

The Academy is based in Daphne, Ala. For more information on this story and more, call (251) 626-3303 or visit USSA.edu.