Oklahoma State University Athletics
All-Americans Stark, Cunningham Nominated For Big 12 Sportsperson Of The Year
June 09, 2021 | Cowboy Basketball, Cowgirl Golf
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State standout student-athletes Maja Stark and Cade Cunningham were nominated for Big 12 Sportsperson of the Year.
Stark and Cunningham both have the distinction of earning first team All-America honors and the Big 12 Player of the Year award in their respective sports, women's golf and men's basketball. The duo is looking to join Cowgirl soccer's Jaci Jones, the 2020 recipient of the Big 12 Sportsperson of the Year award following a standout career on and off the field.
The Sportsperson of the Year Awards began in 2000-01 to annually recognize student-athletes who displayed an extraordinary degree of sportsmanship, community service and academic achievement. Each Big 12 institution is allowed to nominate one female and one male student-athlete. A 10-person media panel selects the winners, which will be announced on Thursday, June 17.
A native of Abbekas, Sweden, Stark was the Big 12's lone WGCA First Team All-American, and ended her sophomore season with the second lowest stroke average in the nation at 70.48 (-1.42 to par). Her 42-4 record in head-to-head competition against top-100 players in the country earned her a No. 3 national ranking by GolfStat.
A two-time event winner, Stark's stroke average destroyed the previous school record set by 2010 WGCA National Player of the Year Caroline Hedwall (71.14, -0.71 to par). No player in program history ever recorded more birdies (139) or rounds of par or better (22) than Stark, and her par-3 (2.99) and par-4 (3.99) scoring averages set new school records as well.
Stark finished fourth in the ANNIKA Award voting, which is the highest finish by a Cowgirl in the history of the most prestigious award in women's golf, and she also tied for 16th at the U.S. Women's Open on June 6.
Just as impressive away from the course, Stark was a first team Academic All-Big 12 selection thanks to her perfect 4.0 GPA in pre-psychology. She is a three-time President's honor roll honoree at OSU, and is considered a lock for WGCA All-American Scholar honors in 2021.
Cunningham took the nation by storm in 2021. He became just the second Cowboy basketball player to earn Consensus First Team All-America honors, and the first since Bob Kurland in 1946. Cunningham was named a first team All-America selection by the Associated Press, USBWA, NABC, The Athletic and USA Today, and was also the Wayman Tisdale Award winner as the nation's top freshman.
The Arlington, Texas native was just the fourth player in league history to earn Big 12 Player and Freshman of the Year honors in the same season after leading the conference with 20.2 points per game. In fact, only two other players in all of college basketball over the last 20 seasons can match his stellar all-around stat line of 20+ points, 6+ rebounds, 3.5+ assists, 1.25+ steals, .75+ blocks – Marquette's Dwyane Wade (2002-03) and Ohio State's Evan Turner (2009-10).
Cunningham honored his commitment to Oklahoma State and head coach Mike Boynton despite the threat of a postseason ban by the NCAA, and was elected captain by his teammates as a 19-year old true freshman. He was a locker room leader both on the court and in social justice and voting rights conversations, and carried a 3.08 GPA in the fall of 2020 before pursuing his NBA dream in the spring of 2021.
2021 Big 12 Sportspersons of the Year Nominees
Baylor: Jennifer Wandt (Soccer), Jared Butler (Men's Basketball)
Iowa State: Sami Williams (Softball), David Carr (Wrestling)
Kansas: Manon Manning (Women's Swimming & Diving), Jonah Ulane (Baseball)
Kansas State: Ayoka Lee (Women's Basketball), Jordan Wicks (Baseball)
Oklahoma: Ivana Corley (Women's Tennis), Pat Fields (Football)
Oklahoma State: Maja Stark (Women's Golf), Cade Cunningham (Men's Basketball)
TCU: Emily Alvarado (Soccer), Chengetayi (Du) Mapaya (Men's Track & Field)
Texas: Alexandra Watson (Rowing), Sam Ehlinger (Football)
Texas Tech: Ruth Usoro (Women's Track & Field), Tony Bradford Jr. (Football)
West Virginia: Audrey Adams (Volleyball), Kevin Brophy (Baseball).
Stark and Cunningham both have the distinction of earning first team All-America honors and the Big 12 Player of the Year award in their respective sports, women's golf and men's basketball. The duo is looking to join Cowgirl soccer's Jaci Jones, the 2020 recipient of the Big 12 Sportsperson of the Year award following a standout career on and off the field.
The Sportsperson of the Year Awards began in 2000-01 to annually recognize student-athletes who displayed an extraordinary degree of sportsmanship, community service and academic achievement. Each Big 12 institution is allowed to nominate one female and one male student-athlete. A 10-person media panel selects the winners, which will be announced on Thursday, June 17.
A native of Abbekas, Sweden, Stark was the Big 12's lone WGCA First Team All-American, and ended her sophomore season with the second lowest stroke average in the nation at 70.48 (-1.42 to par). Her 42-4 record in head-to-head competition against top-100 players in the country earned her a No. 3 national ranking by GolfStat.
A two-time event winner, Stark's stroke average destroyed the previous school record set by 2010 WGCA National Player of the Year Caroline Hedwall (71.14, -0.71 to par). No player in program history ever recorded more birdies (139) or rounds of par or better (22) than Stark, and her par-3 (2.99) and par-4 (3.99) scoring averages set new school records as well.
Stark finished fourth in the ANNIKA Award voting, which is the highest finish by a Cowgirl in the history of the most prestigious award in women's golf, and she also tied for 16th at the U.S. Women's Open on June 6.
Just as impressive away from the course, Stark was a first team Academic All-Big 12 selection thanks to her perfect 4.0 GPA in pre-psychology. She is a three-time President's honor roll honoree at OSU, and is considered a lock for WGCA All-American Scholar honors in 2021.
Cunningham took the nation by storm in 2021. He became just the second Cowboy basketball player to earn Consensus First Team All-America honors, and the first since Bob Kurland in 1946. Cunningham was named a first team All-America selection by the Associated Press, USBWA, NABC, The Athletic and USA Today, and was also the Wayman Tisdale Award winner as the nation's top freshman.
The Arlington, Texas native was just the fourth player in league history to earn Big 12 Player and Freshman of the Year honors in the same season after leading the conference with 20.2 points per game. In fact, only two other players in all of college basketball over the last 20 seasons can match his stellar all-around stat line of 20+ points, 6+ rebounds, 3.5+ assists, 1.25+ steals, .75+ blocks – Marquette's Dwyane Wade (2002-03) and Ohio State's Evan Turner (2009-10).
Cunningham honored his commitment to Oklahoma State and head coach Mike Boynton despite the threat of a postseason ban by the NCAA, and was elected captain by his teammates as a 19-year old true freshman. He was a locker room leader both on the court and in social justice and voting rights conversations, and carried a 3.08 GPA in the fall of 2020 before pursuing his NBA dream in the spring of 2021.
2021 Big 12 Sportspersons of the Year Nominees
Baylor: Jennifer Wandt (Soccer), Jared Butler (Men's Basketball)
Iowa State: Sami Williams (Softball), David Carr (Wrestling)
Kansas: Manon Manning (Women's Swimming & Diving), Jonah Ulane (Baseball)
Kansas State: Ayoka Lee (Women's Basketball), Jordan Wicks (Baseball)
Oklahoma: Ivana Corley (Women's Tennis), Pat Fields (Football)
Oklahoma State: Maja Stark (Women's Golf), Cade Cunningham (Men's Basketball)
TCU: Emily Alvarado (Soccer), Chengetayi (Du) Mapaya (Men's Track & Field)
Texas: Alexandra Watson (Rowing), Sam Ehlinger (Football)
Texas Tech: Ruth Usoro (Women's Track & Field), Tony Bradford Jr. (Football)
West Virginia: Audrey Adams (Volleyball), Kevin Brophy (Baseball).
Players Mentioned
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