See all 80 people, 3 horses who received votes for 2024 Kentucky Sports Figure of the Year

READ MORE

---

2024 Kentucky Sports Figure of the Year

The Lexington Herald-Leader revealed the winner of its 44th annual Kentucky Sports Figure of the Year award on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025. Click below to read more about the winner of the 2024 honor, view the complete voting totals and see reaction from the media members who contributed to the balloting.

Expand All

Watch: Lexington Herald-Leader reveals 2024 Kentucky Sports Figure of the Year award winner

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is the 2024 Kentucky Sports Figure of the Year

Top 10: Nick Mingione edges Travis Perry for second in Kentucky Sports Figure award voting

See all 80 people, 3 horses who received votes for 2024 Kentucky Sports Figure of the Year

From ZaKiyah Johnson to Trent Noah, what KY Sports Figure voters said about finishers 11-25

---

Final voting

One hundred thirty-eight current and former media members from across Kentucky helped select the 2024 Lexington Herald-Leader Kentucky Sports Figure of the Year. Voters submitted up to 10 names. Points were awarded in the following manner: 12 for a first-place vote; 10 for second; eight for third; seven for fourth; six for fifth; five for sixth; four for seventh; three for eighth; two for ninth; one for 10th. First-place votes are in parentheses:

Others receiving first-place votes in order of total points received: Devin Booker, basketball (1), 37; Ryan Perry, basketball (1), 26; Pat Kelsey, basketball (1), 14.

Others named on at least two ballots: Katelyn Young, basketball, 49; Preston Spradlin, basketball, 48; Craig Skinner, volleyball, 40; AW Hamilton, basketball, 38; Brady Atwell, football & baseball, 36; Anthony Davis, basketball, 34; Elena Scott, volleyball, 33; Isaac Brown, football, 31; Ryan Waldschmidt, baseball, 31;

Travis Hudson, volleyball 28; Caroline Beiting, cross country & track & field, 25; Mystik Dan, horse racing, 24; Isaiah Cozart, basketball, 23; Alexis Holmes, track & field, 23; Steve Lutz, basketball, 23; D. Wayne Lukas, horse racing, 22; Sean Thompson, football, 22;

Miller Green, baseball, 19; Teddy Bridgewater, football, 18; Sierra Leone, horse racing, 18; Hunter Cantwell, football, 17; Anna Kemp, softball, 17; Caden Veltkamp, football, 17; Rhyne Howard, basketball, 16; Bam Adebayo, basketball, 15; Tyler Gaffalione, horse racing, 15; Reaghan Oney, softball, 15;

Trinity Rowe, basketball, 14; Mark Spader, football, 14; Cedric Kauffmann, tennis, 13; Erin Coffel, softball, 12; Brock Coffman, football, 12; Taylor Trammell, volleyball, 12; Katherine Rush, volleyball, 11; Jim Dwyer, volleyball, 10;

Charlotte Crush, swimming, 9; Julia Hunt, basketball & volleyball, 9; Yared Nuguse, track & field, 9; Antonio Reeves, basketball, 9; Jayden Boelter, soccer, 8; William Shively, soccer, 8; Johnny Crush, swimming, 7; Caroline Lucas, track & field, 7; Riley Minix, basketball, 7; Donovan Mitchell, basketball, 7; Avery Skinner, volleyball, 7; Raena Worley, gymnastics, 7;

Danny Cruz, soccer, 6; Tyrese Maxey, basketball, 6; John Marshall Butler, golf, 5; Briley Cline, track & field, 5; Jay Cobb, football, 5; Marques Warrick, basketball, 5; Emilien Pitre, baseball, 2; Jordyn Raney, wrestling, 2.

Ballot leaders

Candidates included on the most ballots:

Voting by region

How the leaders fared in each region of the state (Eastern Kentucky is the 606 and 859 area codes outside of Lexington; Western Kentucky is the 502 and 270 area codes outside of Louisville):

Past winners

All-time results in Lexington Herald-Leader Kentucky Sports Figure of the Year Award voting:

Note: The award was known as Kentucky Sportsman of the Year from 1981-2015.

This story was originally published January 28, 2025 at 9:16 AM.

Mark Story

Lexington Herald-Leader

859-444-4731

Mark Story has worked in the Lexington Herald-Leader sports department since Aug. 27, 1990, and has been a Herald-Leader sports columnist since 2001. I have covered every Kentucky-Louisville football game since 1994, every UK-U of L basketball game but three since 1996-97 and every Kentucky Derby since 1994. Support my work with a digital subscription