Former BYU Cougar AJ Dybantsa was named Big 12 Male Athlete of the Year Thursday morning.
The 16-member panel, which has one representative from each school in the conference, votes for both a male and female athlete of the year. The athlete must have participated in a Big 12 sponsored sport during the 2025-26 season and maintain good academic standing.
Dybantsa is the first athlete from BYU to win the award and the fourth basketball player in the conference to win the award since 2020. After a spectacular season at BYU, Dybantsa was selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft and now plays for the Washington Wizards.
He led the nation in scoring this past season, averaging 25.5 points per game. He also set the single-game freshman scoring record against Utah with 43 points and secured a triple-double against Eastern Washington, one of only two Big 12 players to ever accomplish the feat.
The Big 12 Female Athlete of the Year was awarded to Olivia Miles, a three-time All-American basketball player who now plays for the Minnesota Lynx in the WNBA.