Maggie Nichols: Big 12 Female Athlete of the Year
For the second time in her career, Oklahoma gymnast Maggie Nichols on Thursday was named Big 12 Conference Female Athlete of the Year.
Nichols also earned the award in 2018 and is a two-time Big 12 Gymnast of the Year.
Owner of 22 perfect 10s in her career, she powered the Sooners to two team national championships (OU was heavy favorites this year to win a third in four years) and won six individual national titles with a shot at more before her senior year was canceled by pandemic.
She’s the only gymnast in the nation to earn All-American honors in all four disciplines as well as all-around.
The league will name its Male Athlete of the Year later Thursday afternoon.
Nichols is arguably the most decorated athlete in school history as well as one of the top collegiate gymnasts ever. This year she also won the AAI Award as the nation’s top senior gymnast and widely regarded as the Heisman Trophy of gymnastics.
Nichols is also the subject of a forthcoming Netflix documentary, “Athlete A,” about her courage throughout the traumatic experience of being a sexual assault survivor and how she continues to be an inspiration.
To get the latest OU posts as they happen, join the SI Sooners Community by clicking “Follow” at the top right corner of the page (mobile users can click the notifications bell icon), and follow SI Sooners on Twitter @All_Sooners.