MEDIA RELEASE

Craig Alexander and Chrissie Wellington, swept the United States Sports Academy’s Male and Female Athlete of the Month honors for October, according to a press release sent out by the academy.

Craig Alexander and Chrissie Wellington

Alexander, from Australia, won his second straight Ford Ironman World Championship in Kona. Running in stifling heat, Alexander completed the 140.6 mile endurance test in 8 hours, 20 minutes, 21 seconds. He became just the fourth man to win back-to-back titles.

Wellington, of the United Kingdom, captured her third consecutive Ironman. Her time of 8:54.02 smashed a course record that lasted 17 years and was only 35 minutes behind Alexander and 20 minutes ahead of the nearest female competitor.

Finishing a close second in the male category was Philadelphia Phillies left-handed pitcher Cliff Lee, who dominated batters during Major League Baseball’s postseason.

Taking second in the female category was American gymnast Bridget Sloan, who edged teammate Rebecca Bross to win the 2009 World Artistic Gymnastics all-around championship in London. Sloan finished with 57.825 points and became the fifth American woman to win the world all-around title.

At the end of each year, the Athlete of the Month contests culminate in the Academy Athlete of the Year worldwide fan vote, hosted by USATODAY.com and MSNBC.com.

Each month’s winners are automatically added to the Athlete of the Year ballot.

The United States Sports Academy is an independent, non-profit, accredited, special mission sports university created to serve the nation and the world with programs in instruction, research and service.

The role of the academy is to prepare men and women for careers in the profession of sports.

— Find out more:

Ironman: www.ironman.com

United States Sports Academy: www.ussa.edu