General

Houston’s 2023-24 Big 12 Athlete of the Year Nominees

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 Houston’s Jamal Shead and Kelly-Ann Beckford. 

Houston Male Athlete of the Year Candidate
Jamal Shead, Basketball
Sr., Manor, Texas
Accomplishments
  • Named National Defensive Player of the Year by Naismith Awards, National Association of Basketball Coaches, Field of 68 and Andy Katz.
  • Was a consensus First Team All-American nationally.
  • Selected as Big 12 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first player in league history to win both awards in the same season. Led UH to a 15-3 mark in league play while winning the Big 12 regular season title. 
  • Was a member of Houston’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for three seasons from 2021-24.
Houston Female Athlete of the Year Candidate
Kelly-Ann Beckford, Cross Country and Track & Field
Gr., Trelawny, Jamaica
Accomplishments
  • Named the Big 12 Women’s Indoor Performer of the Year and was a Big 12 Indoor Champion in the 800m (meet record holder as well) and the 4x400 meter relay.
  • Big 12 Outdoor Champion in the 4x400-meter relay.
  • Had a third-place finish at the NCAA Indoor National Championship in the 4x400-meter relay and was a First Team All-American in the 4x400-meter relay at both the Indoor and Outdoor NCAA Championships.
  • A Fall Academic All-Big 12 First Team selection along with being named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District team.
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