The Dick Hannula Award is given to the top male and female amateur athletes in or from Tacoma-Pierce County for the past year. Hannula, an internationally-known coach and a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame, also led his Wilson boys swim teams to 24 straight state titles, and coached numerous world-class swimmers such as Kaye Hall-Greff, Janet Buchan Elway, Barbara Mitchell, Chuck Richards, Dick, David and Dan Hannula, Miriam Smith, and Sarah Rudolph.
Hannula began his coaching career in 1952 and retired 41 years later in 1993. He was one of the developers of the American Swim Coaches Association’s Swim America Program. He has coached four U.S. Olympic team swimmers, including Kaye Hall, Olympic and world-record holder for the 100-meter backstroke, as well as Janet Buchan Elway, Chuck Richards, Dick, David and Dan Hannula, and Miriam Smith Greenwood among others.
Aside from Hannula’s interscholastic success, he has also coached the Pan-American Games team and five U.S. International swim teams. He served as a manager for two U.S. Olympic teams and one Pan-American Games team.
Hannula was named the National High School Coach of the Year in 1980 and awarded the NISCA National Collegiate and Scholastic Swimming trophy in 1980. He is a member of the NISCA and International Swimming Halls of Fame.
Award Recipients
| Year | Award | School |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Kendall Burks |
Stadium High School
University of Washington
|
| Zyonna Fellows |
Mt. Tahoma High School
University of Arizona
|
|
| 2021 | No recipients due to COVID | |
| 2020 | Malachi Flynn | Bellarmine San Diego State University |
| Morgan Weaver | Curtis High School Washington State University |
|
| 2019 | Jamie Lange | Sumner High School University of Puget Sound |
| Kaleb McGary | Fife High School University of Washington |
|
| 2018 | Margaux Arnston | Annie Wright Claremont McKenna College |
| Michael Gretler | Bonney Lake High School Oregon State |
|
| 2017 | Kate Landau | Tri-Valley High School (NY) Georgetown University |
| Sefo Liufau | Bellarmine Prep University of Colorado |
|
| 2016 | Jenna Mullen | Emerald Ridge High School Portland State University |
| Morgan Weaver | Curtis High School Washington State University |
|
| Joshua Garnett | Puyallup High School Stanford University |
|
| 2015 | DaVonte Lacy | Curtis High School Washington State University |
| Whitney Conder | Puyallup High School | |
| 2014 | Scott Chrichton | Foss High School Oregon State University |
| Courtney Schwan | Bellarmine Prep University of Washington |
|
| 2013 | Andrea Geubelle | Curtis High School University of Kansas |
| Taylor Meeks | Orting High School Oregon State University |
|
| 2012 | Kaleb Shelton-Johnson | Lincoln High School University of Puget Sound |
| Austin Seferian-Jenkins | Gig Harbor High School University of Washington |
|
| Andrea Geubelle | Curtis High School University of Kansas |
|
| 2011 | Alex Montgomery | Lincoln High School Georgia Tech University |
| Andrew Putnam | Life Christian Academy Pepperdine University |
|
| 2010 | Brie Felnagle | Bellarmine Prep University of North Carolina |
| Isaiah Thomas | Curtis High School University of Washington |
|
| 2009 | Johnny Spevak | Puyallup High School Central Washington University |
| Melanie Roach | Sumner High School U.S. Olympics Team |
|
| 2008 | Brandon Gibson | Rogers High School Washington State University |
| Christal Morrison | Puyallup High School University of Washington |
|
| 2007 | Kellen Harkness | Cascade Christian High School Ohio State University |
| Megan Quann Jendrick | Emerald Ridge High School Pacific Lutheran University |
|
| 2006 | Christal Morrison | Puyallup High School University of Washington |
| Joe Rubin | Foss High School Portland State University |
|
| 2005 | Ryan Moore | Cascade Christian High School University of Nevada at Las Vegas |
| 2004 | Reggie Williams | University of Washington |
| 2003 | Ryan Moore | Cascade Christian High School University of Nevada at Las Vegas |
| 2002 | Dana Boyle | University of Puget Sound |
| 2001 | Chad Johnson | Rogers High School Pacific Lutheran University |
| 2000 | Megan Quann Jendrick | Emerald Ridge High School Pacific Lutheran University |
| 1999 | Kirk White | Curtis High School Boise State University |
| 1997 | Shannon Forslund | Mt. Tahoma High School |
| 1996 | Karl Lerum | Pacific Lutheran University |
| Dusty Brett | Bellarmine Prep | |
| 1995 | Brock Huard | Puyallup High School |
| 1994 | Marc Weekly | Rogers High School Pacific Lutheran University |
| 1993 | Kate Starbird | Lakes High School |
| 1992 | Sonya Olejar | Bellarmine Prep Pepperdine University |
| 1991 | Damon Huard | Puyallup High School |
| 1990 | Andy Maris | White River High School |
| 1988 | Sonya Brandt | Pacific Lutheran University |
| Mike Oliphant | University of Puget Sound |
|
| 1987 | Jim Martinson | Puyallup High School |