2008 IN REVIEW:

Misty May-Treanor long ago picked up the nickname Turtle. But nothing the former Newport Harbor High standout did in 2008, whether it was on the beach volleyball court or in the world of entertainment, had anything to do with tucking into one’s shell.

May-Treanor, 31, now generally considered the best women’s beach volleyball player in the history of the sport, added to that legacy with numerous achievements on the sand. And she also increased her red-carpet appeal away from the court, rising among the ranks of the most recognized athletes on the planet.

Her myriad exploits make her the Daily Pilot’s Sports Newsmaker of the Year.

While May-Treanor ended the year with a pop — the sound she heard when rupturing her left Achilles tendon while practicing during a run on the popular network television series “Dancing with the Stars” – she made a bang in Beijing, China, where she teamed with Kerri Walsh to earn the duo’s second straight Olympic gold medal.

May-Treanor and Walsh also won 12 tournaments during the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals domestic tour and they claimed four Federation Internationale de Volleyball tournament wins, despite missing some events due to Walsh’s shoulder injury.

A technicality allowing the host country to claim the top seed if it had a team ranked in the top six in the world, was about the only challenge to the supremacy of May-Treanor and Walsh, who swept all seven of their matches, including a 21-18, 21-18, final triumph over the host country’s Wang Jie and Tian Jia.

The Olympic triumph was featured in NBC’s prime-time coverage and among those who witnessed the dominant play of the smiling, hugging, fist-pumping Americans in person during the tournament were President George W. Bush, as well as fellow American Olympic heroes Michael Phelps and Kobe Bryant.

By capturing the gold, the prolific pair extended their international winning streak to 69 matches and 10 event titles and May-Treanor was named Most Outstanding Player of the tournament.

May-Treanor later was recognized as the FIVB’s Co-Most Outstanding Player, while also pocketing Best Defensive Player and Best Offensive Player laurels. She and Walsh shared the international tour’s sportsmanship award.

At the AVP postseason banquet, May-Treanor was named Most Valuable Player, Offensive Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year (defender, as opposed to blocker). She and Walsh were also named Team of the Year. It was the fourth straight MVP honor for May-Treanor, who, along with Walsh has shared the Team of the Year honor the last six seasons.

The May-Treanor and Walsh tandem did see its 112-match winning streak in international and domestic events end in late August, more than a year after it began.

An August tournament win in Chicago was May-Treanor’s 100th AVP title. She is the only woman to reach that milestone. And she did so in 156 tournaments, quicker than the four male members who have won 100 AVP events.

Off the court, May-Treanor appeared on “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” “The Today Show,” “The Late Show with David Letterman,” and “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” She also made a cameo appearance on “CSI.”

May-Treanor, who was believed to be among the favorites to win “Dancing with the Stars,” had successful surgery on her foot on Oct. 7. The injury will sideline May-Treanor for the 2009 beach volleyball season.

Even before the injury, however, she and Walsh had made public their plans to scale back on their 2009 schedule in order to start their families.

May-Treanor,was the 1994 National High School Player of the Year after leading Coach Dan Glenn’s Sailors to the mythical national championship.

BARRY FAULKNER may be reached at (714) 966-4615 or at [email protected].