Since 1993, ESPN has held the ESPY Awards (Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Awards) to recognize the best athletes, teams, and performances from the previous year. The 2022 ESPYs will be broadcast on ABC on July 20 at 8 p.m. EDT. You can cast your votes online in each of the 35 categories until July 17 at 8 p.m. EDT.
The four nominees for Best Athlete, Women's Sports are Oksana Masters, Sunisa Lee, Katie Ledecky, and Candace Parker. Masters is a five-time Paralympian who has won seventeen Paralympic medals across four different sports. At the 2020 Paralympics, she won two gold medals in para-cycling, and she won seven medals at the 2022 Paralympics in para cross-country skiing and para biathlon. Lee won the all-around gold medal in artistic gymnastics at the 2020 Olympics in addition to team silver and uneven bars bronze. Ledecky won two golds and two silver at the 2020 Olympics and recently won four golds at the 2022 World Championships to become the all-time most decorated female swimmer at the World Championships. Parker led the Chicago Sky to the 2021 WNBA title and was named the 2021 AP Female Athlete of the Year.
Masters, Lee, and Ledecky are also nominated for Best Olympian, Women's Sports along with Allyson Felix. At the 2020 Olympics, Felix won her 11th Olympic medal making her the most decorated American track and field athlete in Olympic history. Felix's accomplishment is also nominated for Best Record-Breaking Performance along with Oklahoma softball player Jocelyn Alo who broke the NCAA Division 1 record for most home runs. Alo was also nominated for Best College Athlete, Women's Sports alongside Aliyah Boston, Jaelin Howell, and Charlotte North. Oklahoma softball was nominated as Best Team for winning the 2021 and 2022 Women's College World Series along with the Chicago Sky for winning the 2021 WNBA Championships.
Two-time Olympic champion Eileen Gu received two nominations- Best Breakthrough Athlete and Best Athlete, Women's Action Sports. Trinity Rodman was also nominated for Best Breakthrough Athlete for her 2021 rookie season where she was named NWSL Rookie of the Year and to the NWSL Best XI. Rodman's Washington Spirit teammates Ashley Hatch and Aubrey Bledsoe were nominated for Best NWSL Player along with Jess Fishlock and Caprice Dydasco. Women's soccer also has a Best International Athlete category in which Alexia Putellas, Sam Kerr, Vivianne Miedema, and Caroline Graham Hansen were nominated. Additionally, Megan Rapinoe was nominated for Best Play for her corner kick goal at the 2020 Olympic bronze medal match against Australia.
Candace Parker received a second individual nomination as Best WNBA Player. Jonquel Jones, Sylvia Fowles, and Skylar Diggins-Smith were all also nominated for Best WNBA Player. Additionally, Diamond DeShields was nominated for Best Comeback Athlete. In January 2020, DeShields had a benign tumor removed from her spine that posed a serious risk of paralysis. After re-learning how to walk and run, she helped the Chicago Sky win the 2021 WNBA Championships.
All of the women's sports athletes and teams that received nominations are listed below.
Best Athlete, Women's Sports
Oksana Masters, Cross Country Skiing, Road Cycling, Biathlon
Sunisa Lee, Gymnastics
Katie Ledecky, Swimming
Candace Parker, Chicago Sky (WNBA)
Best Breakthrough Athlete
Trinity Rodman, Washington Spirit (NWSL)
Eileen Gu, Skier
Best Record-Breaking Performance
Jocelyn Alo (Oklahoma) breaks Lauren Chamberlain’s home run record for most in Division I history (96)
Allyson Felix, Track & Field won her 11th career medal surpassing Carl Lewis for the United States track and field record
Best Championship Performance
Julianna Peña, UFC 269
Best Comeback Athlete
Diamond DeShields, Phoenix Mercury (WNBA)
Best Play
Best Team
Chicago Sky, WNBA
Oklahoma Sooners, NCAA Softball
Best Olympian, Women's Sports
Sunisa Lee, Gymnastics
Oksana Masters, Cross Country Skiing, Road Cycling, Biathlon
Katie Ledecky, Swimming
Allyson Felix, Track & Field
Best Game
UConn defeats NC State in double OT (Elite 8 NCAA Women’s Basketball)
Best College Athlete, Women's Sports
Aliyah Boston, South Carolina Women’s Basketball
Jaelin Howell, Florida State Soccer
Jocelyn Alo, Oklahoma Softball
Charlotte North, Boston College Lacrosse
Best International Athlete, Women's Soccer
Alexia Putellas, Barcelona
Sam Kerr, Chelsea
Vivianne Miedema, Arsenal
Caroline Graham Hansen, Barcelona
Best WNBA Player
Jonquel Jones, Connecticut Sun
Sylvia Fowles, Minnesota Lynx
Skylar Diggins-Smith, Phoenix Mercury
Candace Parker, Chicago Sky
Best Boxer
Katie Taylor
Mikaela Mayer
Best MMA Fighter
Kayla Harrison
Best Athlete, Women's Golf
Nelly Korda
Ko Jin-young
Lydia Ko
Minjee Lee
Best Athlete, Women's Tennis
Emma Raducanu
Ashleigh Barty
Iga Świątek
Leylah Fernandez
Best Athlete, Women's Action Sports
Zoi Sadowski-Synnott, Snowboard
Eileen Gu, Ski
Rayssa Leal, Skateboard
Chloe Kim, Snowboard
Best Athlete with a Disability, Women's Sports
Oksana Masters, Cycling & Nordic/Biathlon
Jessica Long, Swimming
Brenna Huckaby, Snowboarding
Kate Ward, Soccer
Best NWSL Player
Ashley Hatch, Washington Spirit
Aubrey Bledsoe, Washington Spirit
Jess Fishlock, OL Reign
Caprice Dydasco, NJ/NY Gotham FC
Best WWE Moment
Bianca Belair wins RAW Women’s Championship at WrestleMania
Ronda Rousey returns 4 months after giving birth to win Royal Rumble
Becky Lynch returns at SummerSlam