BYU’s Richie Saunders was named the Big 12 Player of the Week for a second consecutive week, the league announced on Monday.

In Wednesday’s 91-81 victory at Arizona State, Saunders became the first Cougar to score 20-plus in three consecutive games since 2018, finishing with a game-high 26 points. The junior from Riverton, Utah also tied a career-high six 3-pointers.

Saunders scored eight of his 13 points in the first half of BYU’s 77-56 win over West Virginia, going 5-of-9 from the field and 3-of-3 from the free throw line. It was the 21st time the junior has scored in double figures this season, the same amount he scored in his first two seasons in Provo combined.

The Cougars return to action on Tuesday, March 4, with a Top 25 matchup against Iowa State in Ames, Iowa. Tip is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT on ESPN2.

BYU’s Richie Saunders was named the Big 12 Player of the Week for a second consecutive week, the league announced on Monday afternoon.

Saunders becomes the fourth different player this season to win the award multiple times after averaging 19.5 points per game where the nationally-ranked Cougars extend their win streak to six games with victories over Arizona State and West Virginia. He shot 53.6 percent from the field, 46.2 percent from three and 75.0 percent from the free throw line.

BYU freshman Gibb honored by Big 12

For the 10th time this season, Delaney Gibb was named the Big 12 Freshman of the Week, the conference announced on Monday afternoon.

Gibb is just the second player in Big 12 history to earn 10 or more weekly freshman awards, joining Kansas State’s Ayoka Lee who received the honor 12 times in 2019-20. The freshman phenom scored a career-high 36 points against Utah on Saturday, the most points scored by a BYU player since Cassie Broadhead Devashrayee scored 36 against the Utes on Dec. 9, 2017.

Between Gibb and Kambree Barber, BYU players have now accounted for 10 of the last 11 Big 12 Freshman of the Week awards, with Gibb receiving nine and Barber earning her first on Feb. 3 after her first career double-double against ASU.

BYU’s Miller-Crossman on national senior gymnast list

BYU senior beam and floor specialist Eliza Millar-Crossman has been nominated for the 2025 AAI Award, presented to the nation’s most outstanding senior gymnast.

AAI has been awarding this honor for more than 30 years. NCAA head coaches were asked to submit a nomination for the candidate or candidates of their choice. After the initial nominations, the field will be narrowed to the top six student-athletes.

Millar-Crossman is amongst 59 gymnasts nominated for the AAI Award, including one of just eight from the Big 12 Conference.

The Cincinnati, Ohio native has competed on the balance beam every meet this season and on floor in all but one competition. On the beam, she has scored a 9.8 or above in six meets, notching a season-high 9.825, which she has achieved four times. On floor, she has earned scores above a 9.8 in seven meets, achieving her new season-high of 9.850 against ASU on Senior Night in the Marriott Center.

Millar-Crossman came to BYU as a walk-on and was determined to succeed. Not only did she become a staple competitor as a true freshman, but she has been an incredible student as well. As a Neuroscience major, she has a 3.98 GPA and has been recognized over the years for her success in the gym as well as in the classroom. She has been a three-time WCGA Scholastic All-American and was named to the 2024 Academic All-Big 12 First Team BYU’s first year in the new conference. She was also named the 2024 Big 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

As a consistent beam and floor worker throughout her time as a Cougar, Millar-Crossman earned career high’s of 9.9 on both events in 2024.

UVU’s Nelson claims two weekly WAC awards

For the second time this season, Utah Valley guard Dominick Nelson has been named both the University Credit Union WAC Player of the Week and the WAC Newcomer of the Week after leading the Wolverines to a dominant 100-59 win over Southern Utah on Saturday afternoon at the UCCU Center.

Nelson filled the stat sheet with 17 points, five rebounds, four assists, three steals, and a block to help Utah Valley complete a perfect 12-0 home record for the first time in program history. He shot 50% (5-of-10) from the floor, knocked down a three, and was a perfect 6-for-6 at the free throw line. Nelson’s all-around performance set the tone on both ends of the floor as UVU extended its winning streak to six games and maintained its spot atop the WAC standings with a 13-1 league record.

The win also marked Utah Valley’s 16th victory over its last 17 games, a stretch that has vaulted the Wolverines to the top of the WAC standings and positioned the team for a potential regular season championship.

This marks Nelson’s second WAC Player of the Week honor (Jan. 27) and his third WAC Newcomer of the Week award (Jan. 21, Jan. 27). It’s also the fifth time this season a Utah Valley player has been named WAC Player of the Week, with Nelson joining Tanner Toolson (Jan. 21) and Carter Welling (Dec. 23) in earning the honor. Nelson’s third Newcomer of the Week award gives UVU a league-best five Newcomer of the Week selections, with Welling also earning the award twice (Dec. 2, Dec. 23).

Nelson and the Wolverines now turn their attention to the final week of the regular season, hitting the road for two key WAC matchups at Abilene Christian on Thursday, March 6, and Tarleton State on Saturday, March 8. Utah Valley has already secured no worse than the No. 2 seed at the WAC Tournament, set for March 12-15 at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.