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Predicting Oklahoma State's Big 12 Athlete of the Year Nominees
Mar 22, 2025; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Wyatt Hendrickson of the Oklahoma State Cowboys reacts after defeating Gable Steveson of the Minnesota Golden Gophers (not pictured) during the Division I Men's Wrestling Championship held at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Predicting Oklahoma State's Big 12 Athlete of the Year Nominees

Originally posted on Oklahoma State Cowboys on SI
By Ivan White  |  Last updated Jul 18, 2025 7:58 PM ET

Oklahoma State has had a roller coaster athletics year, but a few stars stood out above the rest.

While the headlines from the past year in Stillwater have been dominated by OSU’s football struggles or shortcomings in other sports, there have been plenty of spectacular moments. Over the past year, OSU has had some great storylines from emerging freshman to dramatic sendoffs.

Over the past few days, the Big 12 has begun announcing nominees for Big 12 Athlete of the Year. With one male and female winner, each school nominates one athlete for each, with the winner being announced on July 24.

After a wild athletics season, here are some predictions for OSU’s nominees, which will be announced in the coming days:

Big 12 Male Athlete of the Year nominee prediction: Wyatt Hendrickson

While there were plenty of candidates for OSU’s male nominee, none had the level of success that Hendrickson saw last season. In David Taylor’s first year at the helm, the expectations for the Cowboys were high but still uncertain.

However, Hendrickson’s dream season has pushed Cowboy wrestling in the right direction and has put OSU at the forefront of the college wrestling world again. While his entire season was incredible, nothing topped how he capped off the year.

In one of the most impressive and memorable moments in OSU athletics history, Hendrickson defeated Minnesota’s Gable Steveson in the Division I National Championship in March with a dramatic finish. Steveson entered the match looking to cap off a fourth straight unbeaten season, but Hendrickson capped off his own, finishing 27-0 in one of the most dominant seasons from a wrestler in OSU history.

For the cherry on top, Hendrickson also won the Dan Hodge Trophy, which is awarded to the top wrestler in the country. 

David Butler II-Imagn Images

Big 12 Female Athlete of the Year nominee prediction: Stailee Heard

Although Heard’s individual season didn’t necessarily reach the heights of Hendrickson’s, the Cowgirl basketball star played an integral part in OSU becoming one of the top teams in the country. After entering the season as an afterthought in the Big 12 title race, OSU finished third in the conference’s regular season standings and narrowly lost to Baylor in conference tournament semifinals.

Earning their first NCAA Tournament bid since 2023, OSU lost in the first round to South Dakota State, but it was a small blemish on the year Heard put together. In 2024-25, Heard led the Cowgirls in scoring with 16.8 points while adding 8.2 rebounds and 1.8 steals.

One of the top players in the Big 12, Heard earned a spot on the All-Big 12 First Team and the All-Big 12 Tournament Team. In that Big 12 Tournament, Heard averaged 29.5 points and 12.5 rebounds across two games, including a career-high 34-point outing in a quarterfinal win over Texas Tech.

While Heard and the Cowgirls can still reach much bigger heights, considering this was only her sophomore season, her stellar year could be enough to get the nod as OSU’s Female Athlete of the Year nominee.


This article first appeared on Oklahoma State Cowboys on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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