Oklahoma State University Athletics
Ray Named 2021 Big 12 Women’s Track and Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year
July 01, 2021 | Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
STILLWATER, Okla. – Three-time Academic All-Big 12 first team selection and recent Cowgirl track and field alumna Elissa Ray has been honored as the 2021 Big 12 Women's Track and Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Ray – a 2021 OSU graduate with a pair of bachelor's degrees in microbiology and cellular and molecular biology – represents the 18th OSU student-athlete named the Big 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year in their respective sport since the conference established the award in 2012-13.
The fourth-place finisher at the 2021 Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championships this spring, Ray is the first Cowgirl to be honored among the Big 12's brightest since Taylor Somers in 2019.
In her final indoor and outdoor season with the Oklahoma State program, Ray tallied eight top-10 finishes in the pole vault; six of those performances landed her among the top-five finishers. Ray's most notable vaults included an event win at the Sooner Invite at Oklahoma and a podium-finish at the outdoor conference championship.
Ray will close the curtains on her Cowgirl career as the second all-time female performer in program history in the pole vault both indoors and outdoors.
The Big 12 Women's Track & Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year award marks Ray's fifth conference academic accolade to go along with a trio of First Team Academic All-Big 12 honors and a Dr. Gerald Lage Award, the conference's top academic honor.
The Big 12 Conference established its Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award in 2012-13. A recipient is named in each conference-sponsored sport. Every Big 12 institution and affiliate members nominate one individual per sport with the winners selected by a vote of the league head coaches for that sport, who are not allowed to vote for their own student-athletes.
Scholar-Athlete of the Year nominees must be a junior or senior (academic standing), have a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 or higher, participate in at least 20 percent of the team's scheduled contests and have a minimum of one year in residence at the institution.
Ray – a 2021 OSU graduate with a pair of bachelor's degrees in microbiology and cellular and molecular biology – represents the 18th OSU student-athlete named the Big 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year in their respective sport since the conference established the award in 2012-13.
The fourth-place finisher at the 2021 Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championships this spring, Ray is the first Cowgirl to be honored among the Big 12's brightest since Taylor Somers in 2019.
In her final indoor and outdoor season with the Oklahoma State program, Ray tallied eight top-10 finishes in the pole vault; six of those performances landed her among the top-five finishers. Ray's most notable vaults included an event win at the Sooner Invite at Oklahoma and a podium-finish at the outdoor conference championship.
Ray will close the curtains on her Cowgirl career as the second all-time female performer in program history in the pole vault both indoors and outdoors.
The Big 12 Women's Track & Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year award marks Ray's fifth conference academic accolade to go along with a trio of First Team Academic All-Big 12 honors and a Dr. Gerald Lage Award, the conference's top academic honor.
The Big 12 Conference established its Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award in 2012-13. A recipient is named in each conference-sponsored sport. Every Big 12 institution and affiliate members nominate one individual per sport with the winners selected by a vote of the league head coaches for that sport, who are not allowed to vote for their own student-athletes.
Scholar-Athlete of the Year nominees must be a junior or senior (academic standing), have a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 or higher, participate in at least 20 percent of the team's scheduled contests and have a minimum of one year in residence at the institution.
Players Mentioned
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