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 Utah's Avery Neff and Spencer Fano.
Utah Female Athlete of the Year Nominee
Avery Neff, Gymnastics
So., South Jordan, Utah
Accomplishments
- Finished the 2026 season ranked No. 3 nationally in the all-around, tied for No. 8 on vault, tied for No. 11 on beam and No. 12 on bars.
- Won the all-around and beam titles at the Corvallis Regional, defeating Olympian Jordan Chiles in the all-around to qualify as an individual for the NCAA Championships.
- Finished fourth (floor) and seventh in the all-around at the NCAA Championships.
- Named the WCGA North Central Region Gymnast of the Year, 2026 Big 12 Gymnast of the Year and Utah Athletics Female Student-Athlete of the Year after earning 11 All-America honors (six NCAA Championships, five regular season), winning the 2026 Big 12 all-around, bars and floor titles, and earning All-Big 12 honors on vault, bars, beam, floor and all-around.
Utah Male Athlete of the Year Nominee
Spencer Fano, Football
Jr., Spanish Fork, Utah
Accomplishments
- Won the 2025 Outland Trophy, earned unanimous First Team All-America honors, was named the 2025 Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year and Polynesian College Football Player of the Year.
- Earned First Team All-Big 12 honors and was a Lombardi Award semifinalist.
- Four-time Athletic Director's Honor Roll selection (3.0 GPA or better), two-time Dean's List honoree (3.5 GPA or better) and two-time Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll selection.
- Played in 37 career games at Utah with 35 starts, including 11 at left tackle and 24 at right tackle.
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
Iowa State - Mercyline Kirwa and Joshua Jefferson
Kansas - Shiyun Lai and Tyson LeBlanc
K-State - Shaylee Myers and Tah Chikomba
Oklahoma State - Billah Jepkirui and Preston Stout
TCU - Olivia Miles and Duncan Chan
Texas Tech - NiJaree Canady and Jacob Rodriguez
Utah - Avery Neff and Spencer Fano