Another regular season is in the books, which means it is time to hand out postseason awards. The Big 12 Conference handed out awards Tuesday, March 5, just two days before the Big 12 Women's Basketball was set to start.
After missing her junior season due to injury, Ayoka Lee came back this season, battled injury again, and was a unanimous selection to the All-Big 12 First Team. Even after missing a month of play due to an ankle injury, Lee still finished third in scoring in the Big 12 averaging 19.8 points a game, and had the best field goal percentage in the Big 12 with a 62.0 percentage.
Lee was one of the top offensive players for the Wildcats this season, even with her injury. While Lee was integral on offense, she was even more important on defense for K-State, which landed her a spot on the Big 12 All-Defensive Team. The senior center before her injury was one of the top shot blockers in women's college basketball. Lee finished the season with 65 blocks averaging 2.8 blocks per game, ranking second in the Big 12.
Lee was not the only Wildcats to receive honors. Serena Sundell was also named to the All-Big 12 First Team for the first time in her career. Sundell was named an honorable mention in her last two seasons. The Missouri native averaged 11.9 points per game with a 53.5 field goal percentage and a 38.0 three-point field goal percentage.
The final Wildcats to receive honors in senior Gabby Gregory who transferred to K-State last season from Oklahoma and spent two years with K-State. Gregory was named an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention after averaging 8.9 points per game and being integral to Kansas State's top-rated defense.
With three players receiving honors, this marks the tenth straight season that K-State two or more players named. While I'm sure there will be a small celebration, all attention remains on the Big 12 Tournament ahead of them. The Wildcats need to go deep into the tournament and even win it if they want the best possible seed in the NCAA Women's Tournament after a bit of an end-of-season collapse.
K-State is a three-seed in the Big 12 Tournament and is set to play Saturday in Kanas City, Missouri. The Wildcats will not know their opponent until late Friday night.