SALT LAKE CITY – Utah Jazz player Gordon Hayward and the Tour of Utah professional cycling stage race are the Larry H. Miller Sports & Entertainment nominees for the 2016 Governor’s State of Sport Awards, announced today by the Utah Sports Commission and presented by Zions Bank.
Online voting by the public to determine the winners is open at www.stateofsportawards.com and continues through May 3 at midnight. The fans’ choice awards are based on 2015 calendar year achievements in nine categories: High School Female, High School Male, Collegiate Female, Collegiate
Male, Professional/Olympian Female, Professional/Olympian Male, Team of the Year, Coach of the Year and Event/Highlight of the Year. The public can vote once per day, per web-enabled device for their favorites.
Hayward has been nominated as a finalist for Utah’s top male professional or Olympic athlete. In 2015, he led the Jazz to a 41-40 record over two seasons, including 24-18 at home. He was one of 34 players to participate in the 2015 USA National Team Minicamp and is now a finalist for the Olympic men’s team. Hayward finished the season as only the third player in NBA history to increase his scoring average by two points in four straight seasons. The 6-8 guard/forward averaged 19.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.4 steals. He scored more than 30+ points four times, including 20+ points 38 times. Among NBA small forwards, Hayward ranked second in total points and third in points per game, assists and minutes per game.
Nominated as the Event/Highlight of the Year, the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah, a week-long, professional stage race for the best cycling teams in the world, welcomed 125 athletes from 24 countries with Joe Dombrowski capturing the yellow jersey. The 2015 Tour of Utah attracted a record 380,000 spectators, generated $22 million in economic impact and featured 21 hours of national television coverage. Known as “America’s Toughest Stage Race,” the route covered 712 miles of racing and more than 51,000 feet of climbing. It showcased the state with nine host venues, starting in Logan, and travelling to Ogden, Bountiful and Soldier Hollow/Heber
Valley before its traditional weekend finish in Salt Lake City, Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort, and Park City.
The 5th annual Governor’s State of Sport Awards dinner will be held at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 10 at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Utah Gov. Gary R. Herbert will provide welcoming remarks, and present special awards to those who have achieved excellence in sport in the state of Utah.
Special guests include Vern Law, who played Major League baseball for 16 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates; Scott Blackmun, the chief executive officer of the United State Olympic Committee; and Jim Easton, who has devoted his life in the pursuit of high performance in sports as a businessman, archer and philanthropist.
For tickets or sponsorship information regarding the Governor’s State of Sport Awards, call the Utah Sports Commission at (801) 328-2372.
