They're Simply the Best: U.S. Armed Forces Honor Their Elite.

Each year, the five U.S. military services -- Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard -- select their top mate and female athletes. These talented military athletes are recognized at the Pride of the Nation banquet in Washington D.C., which is sponsored by the U.S. Military Sports Association, the Armed Forces Sports Council, and the Services Morale Programs.

The athletes selected represent the "best of the best," not only in their athletic achievements but also as fine, upstanding citizens and representatives of the U.S. military.

Listed below are the 1998 Athletes of the Year. Through their skill, dedication, and hard work, these elite athletes have achieved tremendous success. They epitomize the values of our country's Armed Forces.

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1998 COAST GUARD ELITE ATHLETES OF THE YEAR

Storekeeper First Class Stacey A. Dolly (distance running). Because of her outstanding performance at the Wait Disney Marathon, she was selected to run on the Navy cross-country team. She distinguished herself as an integral member of the 1998 Armed Forces cross-country team, which competed in the 46th Military World Championships in Curragh, Ireland. The team finished fourth out of 26 national teams.

Boatswain Mate First Class Anthony T. Leiato (powerlifting). Boatswain Mate Leiato distinguished himself by winning the U.S. National Powerlifting Championships in Denver in the 275-pound class. He lifted a combined weight of 2,121 pounds, which won him a spot on the national powerlifting team.

1998 ARMY ELITE ATHLETES OF THE YEAR

Specialist First Class Kristina Sabasteanski (biathlon). An administrative specialist assigned to the HHB, 1st BN/86th Field Artillery in Williston, Vt., Specialist First Class Sabasteanski had the highest individual finish by an American at the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, Japan, with a 33rd-place finish in the women's 7.5-kilometer sprint. She also competed in the 4 x 7.5K women's relay, where the team's 15th-place finish was the highest by the U.S. Biathlon team in Nagano.

Second Lieutenant Garret T. Hines (bobsled). Hines is an environmental science officer assigned to HHD, 151st MED BN EVAC in Atlanta. He was selected as a member of the 1998 U.S. Olympic team and represented the United States in the four-man bobsled competition as the pusher/brakeman for USA1. His team had the highest U.S. finish in 42 years, missing a bronze medal by two one-hundredths of a second.

1998 NAVY ELITE ATHLETES OF THE YEAR

Signalman Second Class Pamela R. Larry (track and field). Competing in 11 meets, Larry has amassed 22 first-place finishes in the 100-meter, 200-meter, and 400-meter events. She is the first female sprinter in Hawaii to qualify for the finals in Hawaii's Fastest Human contest.

Lieutenant Junior Grade Gary R. Sullivan (distance running). Sullivan's 1998 marathon tallies included one second-place finish and two sixth-place finishes. He also placed 43rd at the U.S. Track and Field National Championships. Running in shorter-distance events, he recorded a first-place finish at the Azalea 8K, a seventh-place finish at the George Washington Parkway 15K, and ran the U.S. National Half Marathon Championship in 1:15:30.

1998 AIR FORCE ELITE ATHLETES OF THE YEAR

Captain Heidi C. McKenna (triathlon and marathon). McKenna was selected to the Air Force triathlon team for two consecutive years and was the top Air Force finisher in the 1998 Armed Forces Triathlon, where she placed third. Capt. McKenna was selected to the All-Armed Forces team and represented the United States at the 1998 CISM Triathlon in Kapelle-opden-Bos, Belgium, finishing 18th.

Major Dominic Paul Grazioli (shotgun shooting). Assigned to Randolph Air Force Base in Texas, Grazioli won four medals at the 1998 World Cup in Brunei, becoming the only U.S. shotgun shooter in recent history to win a medal in two separate events at one competition. His gold medal in the trap event earned him the first quota slot for men's shotgun events at the 2000 Olympics.

1998 MARINE CORPS ELITE ATHLETES OF THE YEAR

Staff Sergeant Julia L. Watson (rifle shooting). In August 1998, Watson distinguished herself by becoming the first woman to win the National Trophy Individual Championship at the National Rifle Championships in Camp Perry, Ohio. She was awarded the Daniel Boone Trophy for her efforts with a score of 395-18Xs.

Staff Sergeant Jason E. Meidinger (pistol shooting). Meidinger won five medals at the Championship of the Americas in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1998. Staff Sgt. Meidinger won gold medals in individual and team center-fire pistol competitions, silver medals in air pistol team, and a bronze medal in free pistol team.