The Above and Beyond award is given to those who exemplify the spirit of the the awards namesake, Dan Cnossen, the beneficiary of the inaugural swim.  The recipient will have show that spirit either physically, emotionally and/or mentally to go above and beyond while supporting the Tampa Bay Frogman Swim and the Naval Special Warfare community.

When Dan Cnossen, a Kansas native, arrived at the US Naval Academy, he had never seen an ocean and did not know how to swim.  By the time he left in 2002 he was an accomplished triathlete.  “Life is all about extremes” he always told his friends.  On September 7, 2009, while leading his SEALs in combat in Afghanistan, LT Cnossen stepped on a land mine.  Less than four months after losing both legs, he competed in his first half marathon, finishing fourth in the wheel chair division, in freezing rain and snow.  Now a lieutenant commander, Cnossen has since gone on to become a successful Paralympic athlete competing in cross country skiing and biathlon.