Two Sooners up for Big 12 Athlete of the Year
Oklahoma’s nominees for Big 12 Athlete of the Year have an impressive resume.
Gymnast Anastasia Webb is OU’s candidate for the women’s award, and hurdler Isaiah Levingston is up for the men’s award.
Each Big 12 school has nominated a male and female candidate for athlete of the year.
Webb, a senior from Morton Grove, IL, won three 2021 individual national championships, including the NCAA All-Around title, in becoming just the ninth gymnast in NCAA history to win three individual titles at one championship event.
In addition to her all-around title, Webb also won the vault and floor exercise at the NCAA Championships as the Sooners finished second as a team.
Webb, a five-time All-American, also took third on the balance beam and finished seventh on bars. She was the gymnastics winner of the 2021 Honda Sport Award and was named Big 12 co-Gymnast of the Year and WGCA Region 4 Gymnast of the year.
Levingston, a fourth-year junior from Oklahoma City, was NCAA runner-up at the NCAA Championships in the 400 meter hurdles with a personal-best 48.49. At the NCAA West Regional on May 29, Levingston set a school record with a 48.58.
Levingston won the 400 hurdles at the Big 12 Championships and set facility records at Texas A&M and Kansas State. Levingston is an Olympic hopeful at this weekend’s U.S. Olympic Trials, where he has the fifth-best time in the U.S. and the seventh-best time in the world.
The Big 12 will announce its 2020-21 Athlete of the Year July 6. Fans can vote for their favorite athletes from July 2-5 at Big12Sports.com.
Oklahoma athletes have won 13 Big 12 Athlete of the Year awards, including nine over the last eight years. The Sooners have swept the awards three times, including the 2019-2020 season.
OU's Big 12 Athlete of the Year winners are: Jalen Hurts (2019-20; football), Maggie Nichols (2019-20; women's gymnastics), Kyler Murray (2018-19; football), Baker Mayfield (2017-18; football), Nichols (2017-18; women's gymnastics), Buddy Hield (2015-16; men's basketball), Paige Parker (2015-16; softball), Lauren Chamberlain (2014-15; softball), Keilani Ricketts (2012-13; softball), Sam Bradford (2008-09; football), Jason White (2003-04; football), Stacey Dales (2001-02; women's basketball) and Josh Heupel (2000-01; football).
Other candidates for this year’s Athlete of the Year award are: Baylor’s Jared Butler (basketball) and Aaliyah Miller (cross country/track), Iowa State’s David Carr (wrestling) and Sami Williams (softball), Kansas’ Marcus Garrett (basketball) and Jenny Mosser (volleyball), Kansas State’s Tejaswin Shankar (track and field) and Ayoka Lee (basketball), Oklahoma State’s Cade Cunningham (basketball) and Maja Stark (golf), TCU’s Trevor Moehrig (football) and Emily Alvarado (soccer), Texas’ Jordan Windle (diving) and Tara Davis (track and field), Texas Tech’s Jace Jung (baseball) and Ruth Usoro (track and field) and West Virginia’s Darius Stills (football) and Ceili McCabe (cross country/track).