The 2025-26 Big 12 Athlete of the Year nominees will be featured in alphabetical order by school starting Monday, July 13, through Wednesday, July 22, at 11 a.m. CT and 2 p.m. CT.
Each institution nominated one male and one female athlete of any classification who competed for their institution during the 2025-26 school year. Student-athletes were required to be in good academic standing and must have participated in a league-sponsored sport.
The 16 full-member institutions that competed during the 2025-26 academic year are eligible.
The winners will be announced Thursday, July 23. Stay tuned to Big12Sports.com and the league’s social media platforms to see the remaining candidates.
This morning’s featured candidates are UCF’s Sierra Humphreys and Themus Fulks.
UCF Female Athlete of the Year Candidate
Sierra Humphreys, Softball
Jr., Corona, Calif.
Accomplishments
- NFCA Third Team All-American and All-Big 12 First Team selection after earning Big 12 Player of the Week and D1Softball National Player of the Week honors during the season.
- Started all 61 games and hit .379 with 14 home runs, 57 RBIs and a .712 slugging percentage in her first season as a second baseman.
- Ranked among UCF’s single-season leaders in multiple categories, including fourth in RBIs and fifth in batting average and slugging percentage.
- Established herself among program career leaders, ranking second in batting average (.359) and third in on-base percentage (.431) entering her senior season.
UCF Male Athlete of the Year Candidate
Themus Fulks, Men’s Basketball
Sr., Winston-Salem, N.C.
Accomplishments
- All-Big 12 Third Team and All-Newcomer Team selection after starting all 33 games and averaging 32.8 minutes per contest.
- Set UCF’s single-season assist record with 222 and ranked among the national leaders in both total assists (222) and assists per game (6.7).
- Recorded a career-high 30 points against No. 1 Arizona, becoming one of only four Division I players in the last 30 years with at least 30 points, five rebounds and five assists against a top-ranked opponent.
- Produced seven point-assist double-doubles and was responsible for 37.4% of UCF’s scoring through his points and assists during the season.
The full list of nominees for each school can be found below.
2025-26 Big 12 Athletes of the Year Nominees
Arizona - Sydney Stewart and Jay Friend
Arizona State - Kenzie Brown and Jonny Kulow
Baylor - Tyler Isgrig and Devin Badenhorst
BYU - Jane Hedengren and AJ Dybantsa
UCF - Sierra Humphreys and Themus Fulks