Laura Wilkinson

· Vote for Laura and Vince

ORLANDO, Florida -- A pair of Texas greats, two-time Rose Bowl Most Valuable Player Vince Young and 2000 Olympic gold medalist Laura Wilkinson, are finalists for the 2006 Amateur Athletic Union’s Sullivan Award given to the top amateur athlete in the nation.

The other eight finalists for the 2006 award are Seimone Augustus of LSU (college basketball), J.J. Redick of Duke (college basketball), Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart of USC (college football), track athlete Kerron Clement, Steven Lopez (taekwondo), gymnast Chellsie Memmel and skier Bode Miller.

The winner will be announced during festivities at the New York Athletic Club on April 12, 2006. Tickets are still available at the New York Athletic Club or the AAU office, Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Fans can vote online at www.usatoday.com/sports/2006-sullivan-award_x.htm.

Young led the Longhorns to the 2005 National Championship and their second consecutive Rose Bowl victory. Besides being named the runner-up for the Heisman, Young was a two-time Rose Bowl MVP (2005 and 2006).

In 2006, Young was also named the Cingular/ABC Sports All-America Player of the Year, the Davey O'Brien Award Winner as the nation’s top quarterback, the Maxwell Award Winner as the collegiate player of the year, he was the unanimous Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and a consensus First-Team All-American.

Entering her 10th year on the U.S. national diving team, Wilkinson finished 2005 with a splash by winning the platform gold at the World Championships.

Wilkinson, 28, earned the victory with 564.87 points, just six months after wrist surgery. She told the Associated Press that just coming back from the surgery was a "huge accomplishment" for her.

She has won 13 U.S. national diving championships and was named the USA Diving athlete of the year in 2004. She also team with current sophomore Longhorn Jessica Livingston (Houston, Texas) to win the 10-meter synchronized 2005 U.S. National Championship.

Wilkinson first gained national prominence in the 2000 Olympics, when she won gold as a heavy underdog to the Chinese.