Caeleb Dressel is one of the nominees ©Getty Images

The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) have announced the finalists for their Team USA Best of December Awards.

The awards, as the name suggests, recognises the top achievements of US athletes over the past month.

Between them the finalists represent ten sports including Alpine skiing, ten pin bowling, figure skating and rugby, with five athletes up for the men's and women's awards respectively and three teams shortlisted for the team award.

Perhaps the favourite for the women's award is 23-year-old Alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin.

The two-time Olympic champion has begun this World Cup season in dominant form, winning six races across four different disciplines in December to become the first athlete in the history of the sport to win a World Cup event in all six Alpine disciplines.

She will face stiff competition from athletes including Olivia Smoliga, who won an incredible eight gold medals in December at the International Swimming Federation World Short Course Championships in Hangzhou, setting two American records in the process.

Mikaela Shiffrin, who has won 52 times on the Alpine Skiing World Cup circuit, is considered by some to be the greatest slalom skier of all time ©Getty Images
Mikaela Shiffrin, who has won 52 times on the Alpine Skiing World Cup circuit, is considered by some to be the greatest slalom skier of all time ©Getty Images

Also up for the award is long track speed skater Brittany Bowe, who won six World Cup medals across December including two golds, from two events.

Winter sports also feature heavily on the men's side, although perhaps the favourite will be swimmer Caeleb Dressel who won nine medals including six golds at the World Short Course Championships.

Like Smoliga she also set two American records in the process.

Among the others up against him are ten pin bowler Andrew Anderson, who won five medals including one gold at his first World Championships in Hong Kong, and Para-Nordic skier Dan Cnossen, who won six medals including two golds at a World Cup event in Finland.

Lastly up for the team award are an ice dance figure skating pair, the US men’s rugby sevens team and the US national Para-ice hockey side.

Figure skaters Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue were shortlisted after becoming only the second US pair to win the International Skating Union Grand Prix final title, while the rugby sevens team were nominated after winning back-to-back silver medals at World Rugby Sevens Series events in Dubai and Cape town.

The ice hockey team won a fifth straight sled hockey challenge to make the shortlist.