Kaliya Johnson, a former member of the Lady Ducks developmental hockey program, is a national finalist for the 2011 Sullivan Award, which honors the nation’s most outstanding amateur athlete. Presented annually since 1930, the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Sullivan Award is based on the merits of character, leadership and sportsmanship within amateur athletics. Via aausullivan.org, the public is encouraged to vote for one of the nine finalists from a variety of sports, including hockey, speed skating, football, volleyball, gymnastics, track and field, rowing, diving, and water polo.

As a blueliner, Johnson played for the Lady Ducks of the Anaheim Amateur Hockey Association for six years from 2004-10. In May 2011, she was invited to participate in her third USA Hockey Development Camp, which would earn her a spot on the USA Select Team roster. She went on to represent Team USA at the 2012 Under-18 Women’s World Championship in the Czech Republic, helping lead her county to a silver medal. A native of Los Angeles, CA, Johnson is currently playing at the North American Hockey Academy in Vermont.

The 82nd James E. Sullivan Award Ceremony will be held Tuesday, Mar. 20 at the New York Athletic Club in New York, NY. Previous Sullivan Award recipients from recent years include Evan Lysacek (2010), Tim Tebow (2007), Michael Phelps (2003), Sarah Hughes (2002), and Michelle Kwan (2001). For more information on the 2012 Sullivan Award and to vote for Johnson, visit aausullivan.org.