Oklahoma State University Athletics
Alex Maier and Taylor Roe Named Big 12 Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Scholar-Athletes of the Year
February 15, 2024 | Cowboy Cross Country & Track, Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State distance runners Alex Maier and Taylor Roe were each named Big 12 Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards following a pair of All-America campaigns, the conference announced Thursday.
Maier is the first to win the award in back-to-back years since OSU's Luis Martinez won three straight from 2016-18. Overall, he's the seventh Cowboy to win the award, with Craig Nowak winning in 2015 followed by Martinez' three-peat and Ryan Smeeton in 2020 before Maier's pair. The Cowboys' seven honors matches the rest of the conference combined since the award's inception in 2012.
On the grass, Maier solidified himself as a Cowboy legend with his third All-America honor as he finished 15th overall at the national meet. His finish rounded out the scoring for they Cowboys as they locked up their fifth NCAA cross country title. At the Big 12 Championships, Maier placed second overall as the team picked up its fourth consecutive conference title. In the classroom, he holds a 3.78 GPA as an electrical engineering technology major.
On the women's side, Taylor Roe is the third Cowgirl to be named Scholar-Athlete of the Year after Ingeborg Loevnes in 2015 and Taylor Somers in 2019. OSU is tied for second in the conference with three awards overall. She also solidified herself as one of the greatest cross country athletes in program history as she became just the second Cowgirl to achieve four All-America finishes at the national meet.
Her 34th-place performance helped the Cowgirls secure their second straight trophy at the NCAA Championships with their third-place finish as a team. Roe was also the first in program history to win a Big 12 individual title on the grass and was the first Cowgirl to win a conference title since Heather Garrett won the Big 8 title in 1989. In the classroom, she holds a 3.58 GPA as a statistics and data science major and is a four-time first team Academic All-Big 12 selection.
Overall, OSU is the first school since Iowa State in 2021 to sweep the award in cross country. It is also the second time in program history the Cowboys and Cowgirls have swept, with Nowak and Loevnes each winning in 2015.
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 nominates 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 (athletic and 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.
For more information on the Cowboys and Cowgirls, continue to check back with okstate.com.
Maier is the first to win the award in back-to-back years since OSU's Luis Martinez won three straight from 2016-18. Overall, he's the seventh Cowboy to win the award, with Craig Nowak winning in 2015 followed by Martinez' three-peat and Ryan Smeeton in 2020 before Maier's pair. The Cowboys' seven honors matches the rest of the conference combined since the award's inception in 2012.
On the grass, Maier solidified himself as a Cowboy legend with his third All-America honor as he finished 15th overall at the national meet. His finish rounded out the scoring for they Cowboys as they locked up their fifth NCAA cross country title. At the Big 12 Championships, Maier placed second overall as the team picked up its fourth consecutive conference title. In the classroom, he holds a 3.78 GPA as an electrical engineering technology major.
On the women's side, Taylor Roe is the third Cowgirl to be named Scholar-Athlete of the Year after Ingeborg Loevnes in 2015 and Taylor Somers in 2019. OSU is tied for second in the conference with three awards overall. She also solidified herself as one of the greatest cross country athletes in program history as she became just the second Cowgirl to achieve four All-America finishes at the national meet.
Her 34th-place performance helped the Cowgirls secure their second straight trophy at the NCAA Championships with their third-place finish as a team. Roe was also the first in program history to win a Big 12 individual title on the grass and was the first Cowgirl to win a conference title since Heather Garrett won the Big 8 title in 1989. In the classroom, she holds a 3.58 GPA as a statistics and data science major and is a four-time first team Academic All-Big 12 selection.
Overall, OSU is the first school since Iowa State in 2021 to sweep the award in cross country. It is also the second time in program history the Cowboys and Cowgirls have swept, with Nowak and Loevnes each winning in 2015.
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 nominates 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 (athletic and 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.
For more information on the Cowboys and Cowgirls, continue to check back with okstate.com.
Players Mentioned
Distance
/ Cowboy Cross Country & Track
Distance
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