Pat Kinnison/Pokes Report and OSU Athletic Media Relations
Hubbard and Gray Named Oklahoma State Athletes of the Year, Vie for Big 12 Honors May 28
Oklahoma State University athletic media relations and the Big 12 Conference both contributed to this story.
STILLWATER -- Oklahoma State 2,000-yard rusher, unanimous All-American, and Cornish Trophy winner Chuba Hubbard and Cowgirls leading scorer and consensus honorable mention All-American Vivian Gray were nominated by the University as the school's 2019-20 Big 12 Athlete of the Year candidates, the conference office announced Wednesday.
Fans will be able to vote for both athletes from May 22 until May 26 on Big12Sports.com, and fan voting will be considered in the final tally for selecting the winners.
Gray received honorable mention All-America status from both the Women's Basketball Coaches Association and the Associated Press this past season. She was also honored by the WBCA the season before making her the third Cowgirl to be honored by the WBCA multiple times along with Andrea Riley (2008-10) and Brittney Martin (2015-16).
Gray was second in the Big 12 in scoring as she averaged 19.3-points per game and was a unanimous first-team All-Big 12 selection. She was also named one of 10 finalists for the Cheryl Miller Award and a member of the Naismith Award Watch List.
Among Big 12 players, she finished second in minutes played (37.6 mpg), third in free-throw percentage (84.1 percent), fifth in assist-turnover ratio (1.7), ninth in assists (3.7 apg), 13th in steals (1.6 spg), 15th in field-goal percentage (36.3 percent) and 15th in blocked shots (0.8 bpg).
Vivian Gray drives the basketball against Big 12 Champion Baylor.
Oklahoma State University Athletic Media Relations
Gray was equally impressive in the classroom, garnering third-team CoSIDA Academic All-America honors. In doing so, she became just the second Cowgirl to earn both athletic and academic All-America status, joining former OSU standout Kaylee Jensen.
Carrying a 3.66 grade point average in marketing, Gray was the only player among the 15 All-America selections not classified as a graduate student or senior. She was named a first-team Academic All-Big 12 pick as well.
Gray was the clear-cut choice here, but it is worth mentioning that had softball had their season continue that first baseman Alysen Febrey was hitting .382 with 11 home runs and 32 RBI in just 24 games played. It could have been interesting with Febrey and even pitcher Carrie Eberle with a 0.46 ERA and a 10-1 record and where they would have finished their season.
On the men's side there was no choice and no one that came close to what Hubbard did. The native of Canada ended the 2019 season as the FBS leader in rushing yards, rushing yards per game, 200-yard rushing games and all-purpose yards per game. He ranked first among all players from Power Five conferences in rushing touchdowns and led the Big 12 in both points scored and total touchdowns.
Hubbard's season total of 2,094 rushing yards ranks 16th in FBS history and third in Big 12 Conference history. It marked the second-best single-season total in school history, trailing only Barry Sanders' 1988 Heisman season.
Chuba Hubbard was good from start with over 200-yards and three touchdowns against Oregon State to the finish.
USA Today Sports Images - Troy Wayrynen
Additionally, Hubbard rushed for more than 100 yards in each of his last 11 games, which was the longest active streak in the nation, and led the country with 15 rushes of 30 yards or longer, nine rushes of 40 yards or longer, seven rushes of 50 yards or longer, five rushes of 60 yards or longer, three rushes of 70 yards or longer, two rushes of 80 yards or longer and one rush of 90 yards or longer.
Hubbard was also named a unanimous All-American, the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, a finalist for the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award and a finalist for the Doak Walker Award presented to the nation's top running back. He also finished eighth in the voting for the Heisman Trophy, which marks the third best finish for a Canadian player, and was named the Cornish Trophy winner, which is given to best Canadian player in NCAA football.
The competition is tough with finalists already being named from Baylor with basketball players Freddie Gillespie and Lauren Cox, Iowa State with distance runners Edwin Kurgat and Cailie Logue, Kansas with basketball player Udoka Azubuike and soccer standout Katie McClure, Kansas State with high jumper Tejaswin Shankar and basketball standout Peyton Williams, and Oklahoma with quarterback Jalen Hurts and gymnast Maggie Nichols.
The finalist from Texas, TCU, Texas Tech, and West Virginia have yet to be named.
The winners of the Big 12 Athletes of the Year honors will be announced on Thursday, May 28.
