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Organization of the Year
Long Beach City College
Coach of the Year
Ishmael Pluton
Annual Awards Ceremony
Each year the Aquatic Capital honors a number of Long Beach athletes, coaches, organizations, and aquatic-minded citizens for outstanding accomplishments in the prior year.
Community Service Award
Earl B. and Loraine H. Miller Foundation
High School Achievement
Maya O'Dea
12th Annual Awards Ceremony
Athlete of the Year
Max Irving
Thanks to everyone who came out to our 12th Annual Awards Ceremony, it was a huge success! We had a blast celebrating the accomplishments of our award winners. It was a pleasure to see both familiar and new faces on such a special night.
Event Recap Courtesy of Shirley Wild (Press Telegram)
"There were 100 enthusiastic attendees at the Aquatic Capital of America Annual Awards Ceremony on Feb. 23, held in the offices of Keesal, Young & Logan. This annual gathering recognizes, honors, and supports aquatic participants, athletes, coaches, and organizations associated with Long Beach. Nearly $7,000 was raised for the “Waterproof our Youth” program, which provides children with water safety training. Without such programs, children would be at increased risk of injury or death by drowning — the second leading cause of death in America for children under the age of 14" (Shirley Wild).
2023 Award Winners
Madeleine Focht and Max Irving were named Athletes of the Year. The Coach of the Year went to Ishmael Pluton. The Tom Shadden Citizen of the Year was Lucy Johnson. Todd Leutheuser received the Outstanding Achievement Award. The Earl B. and Loraine H. Miller Foundation received the Community Service Award. The LBCC Athletic Department and LBCC Foundation were the Organizations of the Year. High School Achievement was presented to Chelsea Yujin Park, Maya O’Dea and Avari Wang. James Reinheimer was the recipient of the Dick Miller Waterman of the Year Award.
Athlete of the Year
Madeleine Focht
