Kate Douglass and Van Mathias won Athlete of the Year awards at USA Swimming’s annual Golden Goggles on Saturday.
Douglass earned Female Athlete of the Year outright for the first time after breaking the 50m freestyle world record three times in 2026, plus swimming the second-fastest 100m free in history at August’s Pan Pacific Championships.
“Looking back on this last year, I don’t think I would have thought Female Athlete of the Year was in my future,” Douglass said, according to USA Swimming. “Obviously, there are so many amazing swimmers on Team USA right now. So, I was really excited about my performances this summer. It surprised me and others. It wasn’t necessarily the events I had focused on at the beginning of the year.”
Douglass, the 2024 Olympic 200m breaststroke gold medalist, previously shared Female Athlete of the Year with Katie Ledecky in 2023.
The other nominees were Pan Pacs champions Katharine Berkoff (50m, 100m backstrokes), Ledecky (1500m free) and Gretchen Walsh (50m, 100m butterflies).
Mathias won his first Golden Goggle awards of any kind, honoring his out-of-nowhere comeback story.
Mathias broke the American records in the 50m and 100m breaststrokes and is the only U.S. man to hold the fastest time in the world in any individual Olympic event in 2026 (100m breast).
I didn’t think that I would be doing this a year ago,” Mathias said, according to USA Swimming. “I’m in shock. This year I’ve learned a lot, not only in the pool, but about myself. I’ve faced a lot of challenges and obstacles at work and in life. I think I’ve matured a lot this year, and it’s all gone by fast. One of the things I’ve learned I need to do is to enjoy moments like this and soak it in.”
The other nominees were Pan Pacs winners Jack Alexy (100m free), Luke Hobson (200m free) and Quintin McCarty (50m back).
2026 Golden Goggle Award Winners
- Female Athlete of the Year: Kate Douglass
- Male Athlete of the Year: Van Mathias
- Coach of the Year: Todd DeSorbo
- Fran Crippen Open Water Athlete of the Year: Becca Mann
- Relay of the Year: Mixed 4x100m Medley Relay – Will Modglin, Van Mathias, Gretchen Walsh, and Kate Douglass
- Alumni of the Year: Emily Klueh
- Breakout Performer of the Year: McKenzie Siroky
The swimming World Cup tour starts Thursday in Azerbaijan, live on Peacock.
