The 2023-24 Big 12 Athlete of the Year nominees will be featured in alphabetical order by school starting Monday, June 17 through Tuesday, June 25 at 10 a.m. CT and 2 p.m. CT.
Each institution nominated one male and one female athlete of any classification that competed for their institution during the 2023-24 school year. Student-athletes were required to be in good academic standing and had to be from a league-sponsored sport.
The 14 schools that competed during the 2023-24 academic year are eligible.
The winners will be announced Wednesday, June 26. Stay tuned to Big12Sports.com and the league’s social media platforms to see the rest of the candidates.
This morning’s featured candidates are Oklahoma’s Drake Stoops and Jordan Bowers.
Oklahoma Male Athlete of the Year Candidate Drake Stoops, Football Gr., Norman, Oklahoma Accomplishments
• A 2023 All-Big 12 First Team selection and one of three finalists for the 2023 Burlsworth Trophy (The award is given to the nation’s most outstanding football player who started his career as a walk-on).
• Started all 13 games and led the Sooners with 84 receptions, 962 receiving yards and 10 receiving touchdowns (tied for the team lead in TDs).
• Ranked second in the league in receptions and receiving touchdowns (tied), third in receiving yards per game (74.0) and fifth in receiving yards.
• Received the OU Athletics Director’s Leadership Award in 2023 and 2024 that is presented to a few outstanding student-athletes who perform highly in the classroom, serve as a positive influence for teammates, display leadership away from their sport and represent the university well.
Oklahoma Female Athlete of the Year Candidate Jordan Bowers, Gymnastics Jr., Lincoln, Nebraska Accomplishments
• Named the 2024 Big 12 Gymnast of the Year and the 2024 South Central Region Gymnast of the Year.
• She is the only Sooner in program history to earn four titles (all-around, vault, bars and floor) at one Big 12 Championship. Led OU to victory at the meet with an NCAA record score of 198.950.
• The NCAA Regional all-around, bars and floor champion.
• One of four finalists for the 2024 Honda Sport Award for Gymnastics (OU’s first finalist since 2021). The Honda Sport Award has been presented annually by the CWSA for the past 48 years to the top women athletes in 12 NCAAsanctioned sports and signifies “the best of the best in collegiate athletics”.
2023-24 Big 12 Athletes of the Year Nominees Baylor – Johnny Keefer and Alexis Brown BYU – Kenneth Rooks and Brecken Mozingo UCF – RJ Harvey and Rayniah Jones Cincinnati – Ty Gingerich and Juliette Laracuente- Huebner Houston – Jamal Shead and Kelly-Ann Beckford Iowa State – David Carr and Sydney Willits Kansas – Clayton Simms and Camryn Turner K-State – Cooper Beebe and Ayoka Lee Oklahoma – Drake Stoops and Jordan Bowers
