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Equestrian Rider Steffen Peters, Hockey Player Caitlin Cahow, and the U.S. Women’s National Hockey Team honored by the U.S. Olympic Committee for Outstanding Performances in April

Release: May 07 2009

Author: severs

By the United States Olympic Committee

The U.S. Olympic Committee announced hockey player Caitlin Cahow and equestrian rider Steffen Peters as its April Athletes of the Month, while the U.S. Women’s National Hockey Team was awarded Team of the Month honors.

A 2008 Olympian, Peters of San Diego, CA, achieved an unprecedented feat in April, becoming the first U.S. rider to win both legs of the Rolex FEI World Cup Dressage Final. Riding Ravel, he put up the highest score of his career to make a huge impact for the U.S. in a sport that has been dominated by Western European nations for decades. In doing so, Peters topped two of the three medalists that finished ahead of him at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Cahow of Branford, CT, helped the U.S. Women’s National Team capture its second straight International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship Gold medal. She played both forward and defense and anchored the U.S. power play and penalty kill during a 4-0-0-1 run to the title. Cahow scored six points (two goals, four assists) in five games, including two goals in the Gold-medal game against rival Canada. She scored the first goal 24 seconds into the contest and was named the U.S. Player of the Game in the 4-1 championship victory. Cahow, 23, was part of the Bronze-medal winning U.S. Olympic Team in 2006.

Paced by Cahow, the U.S. Women’s National Team defended its World Championship title for the first time and topped rival Canada in the Gold-medal game for good measure on April 12 in Hameenlinna, Finland. With the championship, the U.S. moved up to No. 1 in the world rankings for the first time since the system was introduced in 2004. The team outscored opponents 28-3 in dominating the tournament. The U.S. women also won Team of the Month honors after taking the World Championship title in April 2008.

Finishing second in the Female Athlete of the Month voting was sailor Anna Tunnicliffe of Plantation, FL, who continued her impressive season with another Gold medal at a major international regatta in the Laser Radial discipline. Her latest triumph came in Hyeres, France, the site of the French Olympic Sailing Week from April 18-24 and the fourth event on the ISAF Sailing World Cup calendar. Tunnicliffe, a 2008 Olympic Gold medalist, has won three of four World Cup events this season and continues to lead the World Cup rankings by a healthy margin.

2008 World champion wrestler Clarissa Chun of Colorado Springs, CO, took third in the women’s voting after picking up two major championships in April. First, she captured her second national championship with a victory in the 49 kg/105.5 lbs division at the U.S. Women’s National Championships in Las Vegas on April 9. She was named the Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament and did not allow a point in four matches. Two weeks later, Chun won a Gold medal at the Pan American Championships.

Coming in second in the men’s voting was hockey player Jack Campbell of Port Huron, MI, the goalie for the U.S. Men’s Under-18 National Team that won the World Championship in April. Campbell shut out Russia in the Gold-medal game and was named to the All-Tournament Team. He posted a 4-0 record, a 0.75 goals-against average and a .967 save percentage with two shutouts. He allowed three goals for the tournament.

Shooter Keith Sanderson of San Antonio, TX, came in third for the men. The 2008 Olympian claimed the Gold medal in the 25m Rapid Fire Pistol event at the International Shooting Sport Federation Rifle/Pistol World Cup in Beijing, China, on April 22. A week earlier, he won the Silver medal in the Men’s Rapid Fire at the ISSF World Cup in Changwon, Korea. With the two podium finishes, Sanderson tripled his career World Cup medal count.

Second place in the team vote went to the ISU World Team Trophy Figure Skating Team, which took home Gold from the first-annual event in Tokyo, Japan, from April 16-19. The U.S. scored 60 points to e

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