News: BST: Dak and Zeke Nominated for 2017 ESPYs

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Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott have been nominated for 2017 ESPYs, which celebrate sport achievements, moments and performers of the past year.

Prescott is nominated for Best Breakthrough Athlete. Prescott was named the 2016 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year after replacing injured veteran Tony Romo and he led the Cowboys to a 13-3 finish atop the NFC.

Prescott is up against the NBA basketball player Giannis Antetokounmpo, gymnast Laurie Hernandez, and New York Yankees rookie Aaron Judge and soccer's Christian Pulisic.

Elliott is nominated for Best NFL Player. ESPN cites that Elliott was the first rookie to capture the rushing title since 1999 after he rushed for a league-best 1.631 yards and helped Prescott lead the Cowboys to the NFC-best 13-3 regular-season record.

Elliott is up against New England's Tom Brady, Oakland's Khalil Mack, Aaron Rodgers of the Green Back Packers and Atlanta Falcons' quarter Matt Ryan.

Texas Connects Us to other notable nominees.

The Texas Rangers' Matt Bush is nominated for Best Comeback Athlete.

FC Dallas' Matt Hedges is nominated for Best MLS Player.

Simone Biles is nominated for Best Female Athlete and Best Female US Olympic Athlete.

Former UT basketball player, and current Golden State Warrior, Kevin Durant is nominated for Best NBA Player and Best Championship Performance.

Here's the full list of 2017 ESPYs nominees:

BEST MALE ATHLETE

• Kris Bryant, MLB
• Sidney Crosby, Stanley Cup Finals
• Michael Phelps, Swimming
• Russell Westbrook, NBA

BEST FEMALE ATHLETE

• Simone Biles, Gymnastics
• Katie Ledecky, Swimming
• Candace Parker, WNBA
• Serena Williams, Tennis

BEST CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE

• Tom Brady, Super Bowl
• Kevin Durant, NBA Finals
• Shay Knighten, WCWS
• Deshaun Watson, CFB National Championship

BEST BREAKTHROUGH ATHLETE

• Giannis Antetokounmpo, NBA
• Laurie Hernandez, Gymnastics
• Aaron Judge, MLB
• Dak Prescott, NFL
• Christian Pulisic, Soccer

BEST RECORD-BREAKING PERFORMANCE

• Bill Belichick most Super Bowl wins by a head coach
• Michael Phelps extends his own record of most gold medals/most Olympic medals
• Diana Taurasi breaks WNBA career scoring record
• Russell Westbrook most triple doubles in a season

BEST UPSET

• Clemson defeats Alabama, CFB National Championship
• Denis Istomin over Novak Djokovic, Australian Open 2nd Round
• Mississippi State defeats Connecticut, Women's NCAA Basketball Final Four

BEST GAME

• Cubs vs. Indians, World Series Game 7
• Patriots vs. Falcons, Super Bowl
• Federer vs. Nadal, Australian Open Final

BEST COMEBACK ATHLETE

• Matt Bush, MLB
• Roger Federer, Tennis
• Jordy Nelson, NFL
• Candace Parker, WNBA

BEST PLAY (16 NOMINEES VOTED BRACKET-STYLE)

• 1. Julian Edelman Super Bowl catch vs. 16. Noah Brown TD catch around defender
• 2. Morgan Williams buzzer beater vs. UConn vs.15. Larry Nance dunk
• 3. Aaron Rodgers to Jared Cook vs. 14. Lamar Jackson hurdles defender
• 4. Northwestern buzzer beater vs. 13. Edwin Encarnacion walk off HR
• 5. Russell Westbrook buzzer beater vs. 12. LeBron James dunk off the backboard
• 6. Chris Coghlan leaps over catcher vs. 11. Sidney Crosby one-handed goal
• 7. Olivier Giroud scorpion kick goal vs. 10. Warriors jump ball transition dunk
• 8. Mario Mandzukic goal in UEFA Final vs. 9. Jarrod Dyson catch

BEST TEAM

• Chicago Cubs, MLB
• Clemson Tigers, CFB
• Golden State Warriors, NBA
• Pittsburgh Penguins, NHL
• New England Patriots, NFL
• South Carolina Gamecocks, Women's NCAA Basketball
• US Women's Gymnastics

BEST INTERNATIONAL ATHLETE

• Canelo Alvarez, Boxing
• Usain Bolt, Track & Field
• Katinka Hosszu, Swimming
• Conor McGregor, MMA
• Cristiano Ronaldo, Soccer

BEST NFL PLAYER

• Tom Brady, New England Patriots
• Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys
• Khalil Mack, Oakland Raiders
• Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
• Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons

BEST MLB PLAYER

• Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs
• David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox
• Rick Porcello, Boston Red Sox
• Max Scherzer, Washington Nationals
• Mike Trout, LA Angels

BEST NHL PLAYER

• Sergei Bobrovsky, Columbus Blue Jackets
• Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
• Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks
• Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
• Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers

BEST DRIVER

• Ron Capps, NHRA
• Lewis Hamilton, Formula One
• Jimmie Johnson, NASCAR
• Simon Pagenaud, IndyCar
• Martin Truex Jr., NASCAR

BEST NBA PLAYER

• Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors
• James Harden, Houston Rockets
• LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
• Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs
• Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder

BEST WNBA PLAYER

• Tina Charles, New York Liberty
• Elena Delle Donne, Washington Mystics
• Maya Moore, Minnesota Lynx
• Nneka Ogwumike, Los Angeles Sparks
• Candace Parker, Los Angeles Sparks

BEST FIGHTER

• Terence Crawford, Boxing
• Gennady Golovkin, Boxing
• Demetrious Johnson, MMA
• Conor McGregor, MMA
• Andre Ward, Boxing

BEST MALE GOLFER

• Brooks Koepka
• Sergio Garcia
• Dustin Johnson
• Rory McIlroy
• Henrik Stenson

BEST FEMALE GOLFER

• In Gee Chun
• Ariya Jutanugarn
• Lydia Ko
• So Yeon Ryu
• Lexi Thompson

BEST MALE TENNIS PLAYER

• Roger Federer
• Andy Murray
• Rafael Nadal
• Stan Wawrinka

BEST FEMALE TENNIS PLAYER

• Angelique Kerber
• Jelena Ostapenko
• Monica Puig
• Serena Williams

BEST MALE COLLEGE ATHLETE

• Ian Harkes, Wake Forest soccer
• Frank Mason, Kansas basketball
• Matt Rambo, Maryland lacrosse
• Zain Retherford, Penn State wrestling
• DeShaun Watson, Clemson football

BEST FEMALE COLLEGE ATHLETE

• Inky Ajanaku, Stanford volleyball
• Kelly Barnhill, Florida softball
• Kadeisha Buchanan, West Virginia soccer
• Kelsey Plum, Washington basketball
• Zoe Stukenberg, Maryland lacrosse

BEST MALE ACTION SPORTS ATHLETE

• Oystein Braaten (NOR), Ski
• John John Florence, Surf
• Nyjah Huston, Skateboard
• Mark McMorris, Snowboard

BEST FEMALE ACTION SPORTS ATHLETE

• Lacey Baker, Skateboard
• Anna Gasser, Snowboard
• Kelly Sildaru, Ski
• Tyler Wright, Surf

BEST JOCKEY

• Javier Castellano
• Mike E. Smith
• John Velasquez

BEST MALE ATHLETE WITH A DISABILITY

• Will Groulx, Cycling
• Mike Minor, Snowboarding
• Steve Serio, Wheelchair Basketball
• Brad Snyder, Swimming
• Roderick Townsend, Track and Field

BEST FEMALE ATHLETE WITH A DISABILITY

• Oksana Masters, Nordic Skiing
• Tatyana McFadden, Track and Field
• Becca Meyers, Swimming
• Shawn Morelli, Cycling
• Grace Norman, Triathlon

BEST BOWLER

• Jason Belmonte
• Francois Lavoie
• EJ Tackett

BEST MLS PLAYER

• Andre Blake, Philadelphia Union
• Stefan Frei, Seattle Sounders FC
• Matt Hedges, FC Dallas
• David Villa, New York City FC
• Bradley Wright-Phillips, New York Red Bulls

BEST MALE US OLYMPIC ATHLETE

• Ashton Eaton, Decathlon
• Ryan Murphy, Swimming
• Michael Phelps, Swimming
• Kyle Snyder, Wrestling

BEST FEMALE US OLYMPIC ATHLETE

• Simone Biles, Gymnastics
• Allyson Felix, Track & Field
• Katie Ledecky, Swimming
• Simone Manuel, Swimming

Fans can cast their vote on ESPYs.com. The ESPYs award ceremony on July 12 will be hosted by Peyton Manning.


Photo Credit: Getty Images

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