July 9, 2003
DALLAS -
Texas softball pitcher Cat Osterman and Kansas men's basketball player Nick Collison have been named the seventh female and male Big 12 Conference Athletes of the Year, the league office announced Wednesday.
Female and male athletes of the year are chosen by a panel of athletic administrators from each conference institution and media from each school's region. One female and one male student-athlete per school were nominated by the directors of athletics from each institution. The selections were based upon the 2002-03 athletic performance and academic achievement with citizenship as a tiebreaker.
Osterman was the winner of the USA Softball Player of the Year as the top collegiate player in the nation last season. The two-time Big 12 Pitcher of the Year, including 2003, and first team NFCA All-America led the nation in strikeouts per seven innings at 14.1. Osterman, a lefty from Houston, also led NCAA Division I in earned run average at 0.38 and was the anchor in Texas leading the nation with a 0.61 ERA. The two-time first team all-conference sophomore posted a 32-6 record with 18 shutouts, 27 complete games, 488 strikeouts and an opponent batting average of 0.90 during the 2003 season. Behind Osterman Texas won its second straight Big 12 regular season championship and conference tournament titles. Osterman was a two-time national player of the week in 2003 and a five time Big 12 Pitcher of the Week. She allowed only one earned run against Big 12 competition this season is a current member of the USA National Softball Training Team.
Off the field Osterman was named to third team Verizon/CoSIDA Academic All-America and first team Academic All-Big 12 this past spring. She was also the recipient of the Darrel K. Royal Endowed Centennial Presidential Scholarship. Osterman was the coach of the 14 and under Austin Storm softball team as well as being a neighborhood Longhorn Pen Pal and volunteer at the Texas softball camps.
Osterman won the Big 12 Female Athlete of the Year from among a solid group of women's nominees. Other 2002-03 Big 12 female student-athletes nominated included Baylor's Melanie Hagewood (golf); Colorado's Sara Gorton (cross country/track & field); Iowa State's Gina Rickert (track & field); Kansas' Gwen Haley (swimming); Kansas State's Nicole Ohlde (basketball); Missouri's Christi Myers (volleyball/track & field); Nebraska's Richelle Simpson (gymnastics); Oklahoma's Anda Perianu (tennis); Oklahoma State's Lauren Bay (softball); Texas A&M's Selena Collins (softball); and Texas Tech's Melissa McGehee (volleyball).
Collison was the NABC National Player of the Year and consensus first-team All-America in guiding Kansas to the Final Four for the second straight season in 2002-03. The Iowa Falls, Iowa, native was the Big 12 Player of the Year by the conference coaches. Collison's 18.5 points per game were second in Big 12 scoring in 2002-03 and his 10.0 rebounds average were third. He was named Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week three times this past season which included national player of the week honors for his Big 12 record 23-rebound performance against Texas. Collison appeared on an All-Big 12 squad every year while at KU and ended his career as the Big 12's all-time leading scorer with 2,097 points.
Off the court Collison was a three-time Academic All-Big 12 honoree and garnered first team accolades in 2003. The six-time Jayhawk Scholar was the KU Male Senior Scholar Athlete of the Year in 2003. Collison signed 1,500 basketballs per year that were sold to the public, and all proceeds went to charity. He participated in holiday shopping each year for needy families and "Late Night with Roy Williams" was another men's basketball effort in donating canned foods to the Salvation Army Food Drive.
Collison won this year's award among another great class of nominees. Other male student-athletes nominated included Baylor's Benedikt Dorsch (tennis); Colorado's Jorge Torres (cross country/track & field); Iowa State's Seneca Wallace (football); Kansas State's Terence Newman (football); Missouri's Christian Cantwell (track & field); Nebraska's Carl Myerscough (track & field); Oklahoma's Hollis Price (basketball); Oklahoma State's Hunter Mahan (golf); Texas' T.J. Ford (basketball); Texas A&M's Chris Pinnock (track & field); and Texas Tech's Ryan Aycock (football).
Osterman is the fifth Texas female to win Big 12 Athlete of the Year honors. Other Longhorn honorees for the Big 12 Female Athlete of the Year are track standout Nanceen Perry in 1997, diver Vera Ilyina in 1998, track star Suziann Reid in 1999, and volleyball/track standout Erin Aldrich in 2000. Nebraska volleyball/basketball star Greichaly Cepero was the 2001 honoree and Oklahoma basketball standout Stacey Dales-Schuman was last year's winner.
Collison makes Kansas the first school to win two Big 12 Male Athlete of the Year honors in the seven year history of the league. He joins Kansas basketball star and 1997 honoree Jacque Vaughn, Nebraska football standout Grant Wistrom in 1998, Texas Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams in 1999, Oklahoma State outstanding golfer Charles Howell III in 2000, Oklahoma quarterback Josh Huepel in 2001 and Iowa State wrestling legend Cael Sanderson in 2002 on the league male athlete of the year honors' list.
It is literally a "who's who" nationally when looking at past athletes of the year for the Big 12, Southwest Conference and Big Eight Conference.
Big 12 Conference
Female Athlete of the Year Winners
| 1997 | Nanceen Perry, Texas, track |
| 1998 | Vera Ilyina, Texas, diving |
| 1999 | Suziann Reid, Texas, track |
| 2000 | Erin Aldrich, Texas, volleyball/track & field |
| 2001 | Greichaly Cepero, Nebraska, volleyball/basketball |
| 2002 | Stacey Dales-Schuman, Oklahoma, basketball |
| 2003 | Cat Osterman, Texas, softball |
Big 12 Conference
Male Athlete of the Year Winners
| 1997 | Jacque Vaughn, Kansas, basketball |
| 1998 | Grant Wistrom, Nebraska, football |
| 1999 | Ricky Williams, Texas, football |
| 2000 | Charles Howell, Oklahoma State, golf |
| 2001 | Josh Heupel, Oklahoma, football |
| 2002 | Cael Sanderson, Iowa State, wrestling |
| 2003 | Nick Collison, Kansas, basketball |
Previous Southwest Conference
Female Athlete of the Year Winners
| 1984 | Carol Lewis, Houston, track |
| 1985 | Tiffany Cohen, Texas, swimming |
| 1986 | Kamie Ethridge, Texas, basketball |
| 1987 | Betsy Mitchell, Texas, swimming |
| 1988 | Betsy Mitchell, Texas, swimming |
| 1989 | Clarissa Davis, Texas, basketball |
| 1990 | Delmonica DeHorney, Arkansas, basketball |
| 1991 | Carlette Guidry, Texas, track |
| 1992 | Sheryl Swoopes, Texas Tech, basketball |
| 1993 | Sheryl Swoopes, Texas Tech, basketball |
| 1994 | Eileen Vanisi, Texas, track |
| 1995 | Michi Atkins, Texas Tech, basketball |
| 1996 | Michi Atkins, Texas Tech, basketball |
Previous Southwest Conference
Male Athlete of the Year Winners
| 1984 | Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston, basketball |
| 1985 | Bubba Jennings, Texas Tech, basketball |
| 1986 | Greg Swindell, Texas, baseball |
| 1987 | Thomas Everett, Baylor, football |
| 1988 | Joe Falcon, Arkansas, track |
| 1989 | Scott Bryant, Texas, baseball |
| 1990 | Andre Ware, Houston, football |
| 1991 | David Klingler, Houston, football |
| 1992 | Trevor Cobb, Rice, football |
| 1993 | Brooks Kieschnick, Texas, baseball |
| 1994 | Justin Leonard, Texas, golf |
| 1995 | Kurt Thomas, TCU, basketball |
| 1996 | Clint Bryant, Texas Tech, baseball |
Previous Big Eight Conference
Female Athlete of the Year Winners
| 1981 | Lynette Woodard, Kansas, basketball |
| 1982 | Val Skinner, Oklahoma State, golf |
| 1983 | Tammy Thomas, Kansas, swimming |
| 1984 | Merlene Ottey, Nebraska, track |
| 1985 | Joni Davis, Missouri, basketball |
| 1986 | Annie Adamczak, Nebraska, volleyball |
| 1987 | Renee Kelly, Missouri, basketball |
| 1988 | Lorinda Richardson, Missouri, track |
| 1989 | Natasha Kaiser, Missouri, track |
| 1990 | Virginia Stahr, Nebraska, volleyball |
| 1991 | Julie Dorn, Missouri, gymnastics |
| 1992 | Edith Nakiyingi, Iowa State, track/cross country |
| 1993 | Karen Jennings, Nebraska, basketball |
| 1994 | Kwani Stewart, Nebraska, track |
| 1995 | Shelley Sheetz, Colorado, basketball |
| 1996 | Penny Heyns, Nebraska, swimming |
Previous Big Eight Conference
Male Athlete of the Year Winners
| 1973 | Chris Taylor, Iowa State, wrestling |
| 1974 | Lucious Selmon, Oklahoma, football |
| 1975 | Tom Rudd, Nebraska, football |
| Randy Hughes, Oklahoma, football |
| 1976 | Lee Roy Selmon, Oklahoma, football |
| 1977 | Nolan Cromwell, Kansas, football/track |
| 1978 | Terry Miller, Oklahoma State, football |
| 1979 | Kellen Winslow, Missouri, football |
| 1980 | Billy Sims, Oklahoma, football |
| 1981 | Bart Connor, Oklahoma, gymnastics |
| Rolando Blackman, Kansas State, basketball |
| 1982 | Jim Hartung, Nebraska, gymnastics |
| 1983 | Dave Rimington, Nebraska, football |
| 1984 | Mike Sheets, Oklahoma State, wrestling |
| 1985 | Joe Dial, Oklahoma State, track |
| 1986 | Scott Verplank, Oklahoma State, golf |
| 1987 | Danny Noonan, Nebraska, football |
| 1988 | Danny Manning, Kansas, basketball |
| 1989 | Tim Krieger, Iowa State, wrestling |
| 1990 | Mike Busch, Iowa State, baseball |
| 1991 | Doug Smith, Missouri, basketball |
| 1992 | Anthony Peeler, Missouri, basketball |
| 1993 | Rex Walters, Kansas, basketball |
| 1994 | Trev Alberts, Nebraska, football |
| 1995 | Rob Zatechka, Nebraska, football |
| Fred Hoiberg, Iowa State, basketball |
| 1996 | Tommie Frazier, Nebraska, football |