ALCGPSC 035/22 - 2021 ELITE MALE AND FEMALE ATHLETES OF THE YEAR

ALCGPSC 035/22

SUBJ: 2021 ELITE MALE AND FEMALE ATHLETES OF THE YEAR

A. Coast Guard Morale, Well-Being and Recreation Manual, COMDTINST M1710.13 (series)

1. I am pleased to announce the 2021 Coast Guard Elite Male and Female Athletes of the Year.

2. The Coast Guard's Elite Female Athlete of the Year is LT Nikole Barnes, stationed at District Seven, Miami, FL.

3. LT Barnes distinguished herself in the sport of sailing. She is a competitive professional athlete who made history by becoming the first Coast Guardsman to represent the United States at the Olympics. Leading up to the Olympic competition, LT Barnes and her crewmate finished 7th at the 470 World Championship Regatta in Vilamoura, Portugal, which qualified the Two Person Dinghy - 470 Sailing team for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. From July to August 2021, she represented Team USA in 10 Olympic races against 20 other national teams finishing 12th place overall. When not training, LT Barnes improved international relations by organizing numerous beach clean-ups in Lanzarote, Spain, Santander, Spain, Vilamoura, Portugal, and at the Olympic Venue in Enoshima, Japan.

4. The Coast Guard's Elite Male Athlete of the Year is LT Ian King, stationed at C5I Service Center, Kearneysville, WV.

5. LT King distinguished himself in the sport of triathlon. He is a highly competitive triathlete that has scored top results at the state, national, and international levels. In 2021, LT King competed against top military triathletes and finished in 1st place in the USA Triathlon Military National Championship. He also defended his West Virginia State Championship by winning the Scenic Mountain Triathlon. LT King's success extends to the Armed Forces Sports, where he competed on the All-Navy triathlon team and helped the Navy secure gold in the Armed Forces Championship. LT King has more notable finishes at the Sarasota Elite Sprint Cup, Clermont Elite Cup, Ironman 70.3 North American Championship, and XTERRA Oak Mountain Championship, where he competed against Olympians and World Championship-level professional athletes. LT Ian King is positively involved in the community. He is a certified Level 2 coach with the National Interscholastic Cycling League (NICA) and serves as a role model and mentor for the youth of the Eastern Panhandle Composite team.

6. The runner-up Elite Female and Male Athletes are CDR Dawn Prebula, Sector Corpus Christi, and CPO Deren Perez, Recruiting Office Guam.

7. Not only have these athletes distinguished themselves in their respective sports, but they are outstanding role models on the job and in their communities.

8. Released: CAPT J.C. Vann, Acting, Personnel Service Center. The Service Center for our most important resource - Our People.

9. Internet release authorized.