Finalists for Team USA Awards announced

US Paralympics, a division of the United States Olympic Committee, has announced the finalists for the Team USA Awards Presented By Dow, Best of the Games.

Fans are invited to vote for their favourite athletes and teams at TeamUSA.org/Awards until 5pm on 23 September.

The Team USA Awards honour the athletes and teams of the Games in six categories:

• Female Athlete of the Paralympic Games, presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods

• Male Athlete of the Paralympic Games, presented by The Hartford

• Team of the Paralympic Games, presented by Dow

• Female Athlete of the Olympic Games, presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods

• Male Athlete of the Olympic Games

• Team of the Olympic Games, presented by Dow

A nominating committee selected the 2016 Paralympic finalists for the individual athlete and team categories based on nominations from each National Governing Body and High Performance Sports Organisation.

The six award winners will be announced during the Team USA Awards which will take place at 7 pm on Wednesday, 28 September at Georgetown University’s McDonough Arena in Washington, D.C. More than 600 members of the 2016 US Olympic and Paralympic teams are expected to attend the ceremony, which will honour the awe-inspiring, outstanding US performances from the Rio 2016 Games, and will air on 4 October on NBC Sports Network from 10-11 p.m. ET.

In addition to presenting sponsor Dow, six USOC sponsors – Coca-Cola, DICK’S Sporting Goods, Kellogg’s, The Hartford, Samsung and USG – are associate sponsors of the Team USA Awards, Best of the Games event.

Paralympic finalists for Team USA Awards presented by Dow, Best of the Games

Female Athlete of the Paralympic Games, presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods

Tatyana McFadden, track and field - Tatyana McFadden won a medal in all six of the individual events she entered, winning four gold and two silver medals. McFadden won gold in the 400m, 800m, 1,500m and 5,000m and silver in the 100m and marathon T54.

Becca Meyers, swimming - Becca Meyers won three gold medals and one silver, while setting three world records in her second Paralympic Games. Meyers won the 400m freestyle, 100m butterfly and 200 individual medley SM13, while taking second in the 100 freestyle S13.

Shawn Morelli, cycling – Shawn Morelli won two gold medals at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. She won her first gold in track cycling in the women's 3000m individual pursuit C4 and her second gold in the women’s C4 road time trial.

Grace Norman, triathlon – Grace Norman became the first woman to win triathlon gold as the sport made its Paralympic debut in Rio. Norman won by more than a minute over her closest competitor in the women's PT2 event. Less than 36 hours after her win, Norman also won bronze on the track in the women's 400m T44.

Becca Murray, women's wheelchair basketball - Three-time US Paralympian Becca Murray propelled the US women to gold as she led scoring in Rio with 169 points and averaged 24.1 points per game. She also finished fourth in assists and was the offensive leader in the gold-medal game.

Male Athlete of the Paralympic Games, presented by The Hartford

Will Groulx, cycling - Will Groulx medalled in every event he entered in Rio as he won gold in the men's H2 road race, silver in the H2 time trial and silver in the mixed team relay H2-5. Groulx is now a two-sport Paralympic champion after previously winning gold in wheelchair rugby.

Steve Serio, men's wheelchair basketball, co-captain Steve Serio commanded the US men’s team to a gold medal over eight games. In the final three games, Serio scored 42 points, snagging 23 rebounds, and dishing out 30 assists.

Andre Shelby, archery - Andre Shelby shocked the archery world at his first Paralympic Games by wining gold in the men's W2 individual compound from a 12th place seed. Shelby began competing in archery less than three years ago.

Brad Snyder, swimming - Two-time Paralympian Brad Snyder took home three gold medals and tied for silver, giving him a total of four medals. He defended his Paralympic titles in the 400m and 100m freestyle S11 events, while breaking a 30-year-old world record in the 100m freestyle.

Roderick Townsend, track and field - First-time Paralympian Roderick Townsend won two gold medals in the long jump and the high jump T47 - where he cleared every advance of the bar on his first attempt. He also set Paralympic records in both events.

Team of the Paralympic Games, presented by Dow

Men's goalball - The US men's goalball team came back from not qualifying for the Paralympic Games four years ago to finish with their first silver medal since 2004. The men beat the host nation with a dominant 10-1 victory in the semi-final round.

Women's sitting volleyball - The US women’s sitting volleyball team made history by winning its first Paralympic gold medal against China. The US finished the Paralympics 4-1 and outscored opponents 407-225 for the entire tournament, winning sets by an average of 11.07 points.

Men's wheelchair basketball - The US men’s wheelchair basketball team returned to the top of the podium to win its first gold since Seoul 1988. The team defeated Spain 68-52 to win gold and maintain its undefeated streak since 2014.

Women's wheelchair basketball - The US women's wheelchair basketball team defeated the defending Paralympic champions from Germany 62-45 to win gold. The team was undefeated in Rio, leading the way with a 53.8 shooting percentage and the fewest turnovers per game.

Wheelchair rugby - The US wheelchair rugby team took the reigning Paralympic champion Australia to double overtime in the finals to bring home the silver from Rio. The team continued their podium streak since the sport was added to the Paralympic Games in 2000.