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 afternoon’s featured candidates are Houston's Michelle McLeod and Kingston Flemings.
Houston Female Athlete of the Year Candidate
Michelle McLeod, Swimming & Diving
Jr., Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada
Accomplishments
- Big 12 champion in the platform event and the 2026 Big 12 Championship Diver of the Meet.
- Earned All-Big 12 First Team honors on platform and All-Big 12 Second Team recognition on the 1-meter and 3-meter.
- Qualified for the NCAA Championships in all three diving events and finished 22nd on the 3-meter, 25th on platform and 36th on the 1-meter.
- Five-time Big 12 Diver of the Week, team captain and CSC Academic All-District selection who earned Academic All-Big 12 Winter Team honors.
Houston Male Athlete of the Year Candidate
Kingston Flemings, Men’s Basketball
Fr., San Antonio, Texas
Accomplishments
- Consensus Second Team All-American, John R. Wooden Award All-America Team member and Bob Cousy Award finalist.
- All-Big 12 First Team and Big 12 All-Freshman Team selection who was chosen as a First Team Freshman All-American by Andy Katz.
- Led Houston in scoring (16.1 ppg), assists (192), steals (56), field goals and 3-point percentage while setting the program freshman record with 594 points.
- Selected No. 8 overall by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2026 NBA Draft after recording 12 20-point games, 29 double-digit scoring performances and a career-high 42 points at Texas Tech.
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
Cincinnati - Juliette Laracuente-Huebner and Quinton Coats
Colorado - Maddie Shoup and Hunter Swanson
Houston - Michelle McLeod and Kingston Flemings