Honors were chosen by the league’s head coaches who were not allowed to vote for themselves or their own student-athletes. A tie resulted in an additional member on the All-Freshman team.

In their first year in the Big 12 Conference, the Cougars went undefeated, 7-0-3, and posted an overall record of 14-1-3. BYU tallied 58 goals and 60 assists through 18 games, the second highest in the nation.

Laveni Vaka

As BYU’s starting center back, Vaka played and started in all 18 matches this season, totaling a team-high 1,570 minutes on the pitch. She was ranked No. 34 in the Top Drawer Soccer Midseason Top 100. Vaka’s strength, athleticism and timing on tackles helped the Cougars notch six shutouts this season, five against Big 12 opponents. The MAC Hermann Trophy Watchlist candidate had several key defensive stops against some of the nation’s best offenses, including UCLA and Texas Tech.

Brecken Mozingo

As a starting midfielder for the Cougars, Mozingo tallied nine goals, 10 assists and a team-high 53 shots this season. She has tallied six assists in the last four games for the Cougars. The MAC Hermann Trophy Watchlist candidate is 4-for-4 on penalty kicks this season. Her 258 career shots and 32 career assists put her at No. 7 overall in BYU’s record book in both categories. Currently ranked No. 9 in the Top Drawer Soccer Midseason Top 100, Mozingo’s ball skills and ability to shoot from outside the 18-yard box has helped the Cougar offense become one of the most dominant offenses in the nation.

The following Cougars were All-Big 12 Second Team selections:

Kendell Petersen

As a starting defender, Petersen saw 1,195 minutes on the pitch this season. She currently leads the team, along with teammate Mozingo, in assists with 10, which is a career high. She also tallied one goal and 28 shots this season, being a dominant force on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball for the Cougars.

Olivia Wade-Katoa

Starting all 18 games for the Cougars in the center midfield position, Wade-Katoa tallied 1,331 minutes on the pitch. Currently ranked No. 21 in the Top Drawer Soccer Midseason Top 100, she tallied seven goals, six assists and 48 shots for BYU this season. Wade-Katoa’s speed in transition helped the Cougars overcome three early-game deficits, notching two game-winning goals in their undefeated conference season.

Allie Fryer

Starting and playing in all but one match for the Cougars this season, Fryer has tallied nine goals, one assist and 45 shots in 895 minutes on the pitch. Fryer’s nine goals is tied with teammates Erin Bailey and Mozingo for the most goals on the team through 18 games.

Ellie Walbruch

The UCLA transfer sophomore has become one of BYU’s most effective offensive players. With 824 minutes on the pitch, she has tallied eight goals, four assists and 42 shots this season. In the last eight games, Walbruch has scored five goals for the Cougars.

The following Cougars were All-Big 12 All-Freshman Team selections:

Lynette Hernaez

As a freshman transfer, Hernaez has played in 10 games, recording six wins and three shutouts between the woodwork for the Cougars. With 31 total saves this season, Hernaez recorded a .838 save percentage. In BYU’s shutout victory against Oklahoma, Hernaez tallied a career-high seven saves, earning her Big 12 Goalkeeper of the Week honors for the first time.

Camryn Jorgensen

Playing in 13 games this season, Jorgensen has totaled 325 minutes on the pitch as a defender. She tallied back-to-back assists in BYU’s shutout victories over Kansas State (2-0) and Oklahoma State (3-0).

Robinson named Thorpe Award National Defensive Back of the Week

BYU defensive back Jakob Robinson was today named the Jim Thorpe Award National Defensive Back of the Week for his role in helping BYU to a 27-14 victory over Texas Tech last Saturday at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

Robinson previously received the Jim Thorpe weekly award on Sept. 30, in week five of the season, and is currently the only defensive back to receive the recognition twice over the first eight weeks of the season.

The junior cornerback from Orem, Utah, was honored for his overall performance in collecting 10 tackles with eight solo takedowns, both career highs, along with a pass breakup and an interception he returned for 32 yards. BYU’s defense forced five Red Raider turnovers in the win.

The prestigious Jim Thorpe Award is awarded annually to the nation’s best defensive back by the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame and Paycom. The award is based on performance on the field, athletic ability and character.

With four picks on the season, Robinson is on pace to become BYU’s all-time single-season interceptions leader with six, held by Kai Nacua (2015, 2016) and current BYU cornerbacks coach Jernaro Gilford (2001).

Through eight weeks of the 2023 season, Robinson is tied for fourth in the nation in interceptions, just one off the national lead of five. Previously, the 5-11, 170-pound cornerback recorded two interceptions in BYU’s home win over Sam Houston and added a pick six to help the Cougars to a 35-27 victory over Cincinnati in week five.

Robinson has eight interceptions in the 32 games he has played over his three seasons (2021-2023) at BYU. On the final play of the New Mexico Bowl in 2022, Robison made the game-saving solo tackle on SMU quarterback Tanner Mordecai on a 2-point conversion attempt to seal the Cougars’ 24-23 win over the Mustangs.

Two other defensive backs, Mishael Powell of Washington and Elijah Jones of Boston College received Jim Thorpe Award honorable mention recognition for week eight of the college football season.

Cougar men’s hoops star Traore named to Karl Malone Award Watch List

BYU junior Fousseyni Traore was one of 20 players named to the 2024 Karl Malone Award Watch List on Thursday, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced. The award is given annually to the top power forward in Division I men’s college basketball.

Traore, a native of Bamako, Mali is one of two players from the Big 12 on the list joined by Houston’s J’Wan Roberts. He enters his third season in Provo having appeared in 66 games, including 54 starts, where he is averaging 11.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per contest.

The 6-foot-6 forward ranks first in program history in field goal percentage in conference play (.609), also ranking 13th in career offensive rebounds (185), rebounds per game, 20th in blocks and 20th in double-doubles.

Earlier this fall Traore was named one of the Top 100 players in the nation by The Almanac after averaging 12.9 points and 7.8 rebounds per game as a sophomore in 2022-23. He shot 60.7 percent from the field, the second-highest percentage in program history (min. 100 FG made). He scored in double figures 24 times, including a 21-point, 12-rebound double-double against Butler.

In 2021-22, Traore averaged 9.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game en route to earning WCC Freshman Team accolades. He had 11 10-rebound games en route to breaking the freshman program records in offensive and total rebounds.

He was named to the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic All-Tournament Team after recording his first career double-double (19 points, 13 rebounds) in the Cougars win over Liberty. He also had a 25-point, 19-rebounds double-double in the season finale against Pepperdine, breaking Trent Plaisted’s freshman single-game rebound record.

The list will be narrowed down to top 10 in late January, with plans to announce the Final 5 in late March. The winner of the award will be announced at the Final Four in Phoenix, Ariz.

Previous winners of the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award include Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis, Iowa’s Keegan Murray and Gonzaga’s Drew Timme.

No. 8 BYU women’s volleyball swept at Kansas State

MANHATTAN, Kan. — No. 8 BYU women’s volleyball fell to Kansas State in straight sets (18-25, 16-25, 19-25) at Morgan Family Arena on Thursday night.

The Cougars (18-4, 7-3 Big 12) had 23 attack errors and hit just .075 for the match to the Wildcats .382 clip. K-State out-blocked BYU, nine to six, and also had eight more digs.

Outside hitter Erin Livingston finished with 12 kills, while opposite hitter Kate Prior added eight. Setter Whitney Bower posted 20 assists and nine digs, with libero Kamaile Hiapo recording 10 digs. Prior and middle blocker Whitney McEwan-Llarenas tallied three blocks each.

Two Kamaile Hiapo aces gave the Cougars a 6-5 lead in the first set, their first and only lead of the set. The Wildcats took eight of the next 11 points to retake the lead, and never looked back en route to a 25-18 first frame win.

The second set saw eight ties and three lead changes before K-State went ahead 11-10. A 5-0 Wildcat run, including a 7-1 run over both the media and the Cougars’ two timeouts, fueled Kansas State to a commanding 2-0 lead as it took the second set, 25-16.

BYU reeled off five-straight to take a 7-5 lead in the third, but K-State responded with a 5-0 run of its own to go back in front, 11-8, and force a Cougar timeout. BYU went on a 6-2 run to draw within one, at 16-15, and Kansas State called timeout. From there, however, K-State closed the set on a 9-4 run to sweep the match with a 25-19 third set win.

The Cougars and Wildcats will face off again on Friday, Oct. 27 at 6:30 p.m. CDT. The match will be streamed on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.