As the Big 12 announced each school's nominations for Big 12 Athlete of the Year, they finally released who was Kansas State's pick, and it was no surprise to anyone.
K-State chose star center and NFL Draft pick Cooper Beebe and women's basketball star who will be returning for her seventh season, Ayoka Lee.
2023-24 Big 12 Athlete of the Year Nominees from @kstatesports
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) June 20, 2024
✅ Ayoka Lee
✅ Cooper Beebe pic.twitter.com/AMlC5I49GQ
Both Cooper and Lee excelled both on the field and court and in the classroom making them the perfect players to nominate for the prestigious award.
Beebe, a Kansas City native and recent Dallas Cowboys draft pick, had an amazing senior campaign to wrap up his stellar college career. He was a 2023 consensus All-American, was named Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year for the second season in a row, an Outland Trophy Finalist, and a Lombardi Award semifinalist. He was also a three-time First Team All-Big 12 honoree.
He was a beast on the offense with 945 offensive snaps mostly at left tackle, but is versatile enough to play any position on the offensive line. Beebe also got it done in the classroom earning First Team Academic Big 12 for the fourth time in his college career.
Lee, who announced she would be returning for her seventh season, spent a good portion of her season sidelined with an ankle injury, but when she was on the court, she put up record numbers. She averaged 19.7 points per game, 8.6 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks after missing the entire 2022-2023 season due to injury.
Those great numbers earned Lee a unanimous 2024 All-Big 12 First Team selection along with an All-Big 12 Defensive Team, and a Big 12 All-Tournament Team selection.
Like Beebe, Lee also got the job done in the classroom being a 2024 College Sports Communicators Academic All-American First Team selection and was a 2024 Academic All-Big 12 First Team selection.
The winners of Big 12 Athlete of the Year will be announced on Wednesday, June 26.