Kansas State University Athletics
K-State’s Lee, Shankar Named Big 12 Athlete of the Year Nominees
Jun 24, 2021 | Men's Track & Field, Women's Basketball, Athletics
MANHATTAN, Kansas – Two of K-State's top performing student-athletes from the 2020-21 athletic season are candidates for the Big 12 Conference Male and Female Athlete of the Year, as women's basketball standout Ayoka Lee and men's track and field All-American TJ Shankar are nominees for the awards.
Fans will be able to vote for their male and female choices from 2 p.m. (CT) on July 2 until 8 a.m. (CT) July 5 on Big12Sports.com. Fan voting will be considered in the final tally for selecting this prestigious award. The award winners are announced on Tuesday, July 6.
Lee was a 2021 WBCA All-America honorable mention recipient, a 2021 WBCA All-Region 3 selection, 2021 All-Big 12 First Team and a preseason candidate for every national award including the Wade Trophy, Naismith Trophy, Wooden Award and Lisa Leslie Award.
She completed the 2020-21 regular season with a career-high 19.1 points per game (478 points). Her scoring average this season was the highest by a Wildcat since Brittany Chambers set the school record at 21.0 points per game in 2012-13.
Lee became the first player in the 53-season history of K-State women's basketball to register 450 or more points, 200 or more rebounds and 45 or more blocks in her first two seasons.
The product of Byron, Minnesota, also recorded a career-best field goal percentage of .621 and a career-best free throw percentage of .812. She led the Big 12 and ranks third in the nation in field goal percentage. She was the only player in NCAA Division I with a field goal percentage of .600 or better and a free throw percentage of .800 or better.
Lee recorded 10 double-doubles, including four straight to conclude the season. Among her 10 double-doubles, Lee registered a 37-point, 18-rebound effort against Oklahoma on January 31. Her 37 points set the school record for points in a Big 12 Conference game, are the fifth-most points scored in any game in school history and the most since Chambers set the school-record of 42 against Texas Southern on March 21, 2013.
In Big 12 play, Lee was even better as she ranked fifth for scoring average with 19.8 points per game and led the league in field goal percentage at .629. She was the only player in Big 12 play to card a field goal percentage of 60.0 percent or better.
On the boards in Big 12 action, Lee pulled in 8.56 per game and ranked sixth in the league. She ranked fourth in the Big 12 in offensive rebounds with 3.11 per game.
Academically, Lee was a heavily decorated student-athlete in 2020-21. She was a 2021 CoSIDA Academic All-America Second Team, a 2021 CoSIDA Academic All-District VII First Team selection, a 2021 Academic All-Big 12 First Team member and collected the 2020-21 Big 12/Dr. Gerald Lage Academic Award recipient.
She also graduated in May with her degree in psychology with a 3.88 grade point average. She was accepted into the couple and family therapy master's program at K-State and will begin her graduate work in the fall of 2021.
Shankar continued to add accolades to his trophy case during the 2020-21 track seasons. He collected All-America honors in three events, including First Team honors in the high jump in the indoor and outdoor seasons and a Second Team nod in the triple jump during the indoor season.
During the 2021 outdoor track season, Shankar finished as the national runner-up in the high jump, the NCAA West regional runner-up and the 2021 Big 12 champion in the high jump. While collecting the Big 12 high jump title at the 2021 Big 12 Track and Field Championships in Manhattan, Shankar set the facility record with his clearance of 2.28m/7-05.75. He ended the weekend with 15 total points, as he also recorded a fourth-place finish in the triple jump with a season-best mark of 16.00m/52-06.00.
In the 2021 indoor season, Shankar carded a third-place finish in the high jump and an 11th-place effort in the triple jump at the 2021 NCAA Indoor Championships.
At the 2021 Big 12 Indoor Championships, Shankar strung together a stellar performance. He finished the weekend as the men's Big 12 Indoor High Point Award winner by scoring 21.25 points. Shankar laid claim to the indoor high jump title for the third straight season, then added a second-place finish in the triple jump, a fourth-place finish in the 4x400-meter relay and a seventh-place finish in the long jump.
In the classroom, Shankar garnered 2021 Academic All-Big 12 First Team honors and was named to both the Fall 2020 and the Spring 2021 Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll.
He graduated with his degree in finance and is currently enrolled in K-State's master's program in accounting.
Fans will be able to vote for their male and female choices from 2 p.m. (CT) on July 2 until 8 a.m. (CT) July 5 on Big12Sports.com. Fan voting will be considered in the final tally for selecting this prestigious award. The award winners are announced on Tuesday, July 6.
Lee was a 2021 WBCA All-America honorable mention recipient, a 2021 WBCA All-Region 3 selection, 2021 All-Big 12 First Team and a preseason candidate for every national award including the Wade Trophy, Naismith Trophy, Wooden Award and Lisa Leslie Award.
She completed the 2020-21 regular season with a career-high 19.1 points per game (478 points). Her scoring average this season was the highest by a Wildcat since Brittany Chambers set the school record at 21.0 points per game in 2012-13.
Lee became the first player in the 53-season history of K-State women's basketball to register 450 or more points, 200 or more rebounds and 45 or more blocks in her first two seasons.
The product of Byron, Minnesota, also recorded a career-best field goal percentage of .621 and a career-best free throw percentage of .812. She led the Big 12 and ranks third in the nation in field goal percentage. She was the only player in NCAA Division I with a field goal percentage of .600 or better and a free throw percentage of .800 or better.
Lee recorded 10 double-doubles, including four straight to conclude the season. Among her 10 double-doubles, Lee registered a 37-point, 18-rebound effort against Oklahoma on January 31. Her 37 points set the school record for points in a Big 12 Conference game, are the fifth-most points scored in any game in school history and the most since Chambers set the school-record of 42 against Texas Southern on March 21, 2013.
In Big 12 play, Lee was even better as she ranked fifth for scoring average with 19.8 points per game and led the league in field goal percentage at .629. She was the only player in Big 12 play to card a field goal percentage of 60.0 percent or better.
On the boards in Big 12 action, Lee pulled in 8.56 per game and ranked sixth in the league. She ranked fourth in the Big 12 in offensive rebounds with 3.11 per game.
Academically, Lee was a heavily decorated student-athlete in 2020-21. She was a 2021 CoSIDA Academic All-America Second Team, a 2021 CoSIDA Academic All-District VII First Team selection, a 2021 Academic All-Big 12 First Team member and collected the 2020-21 Big 12/Dr. Gerald Lage Academic Award recipient.
She also graduated in May with her degree in psychology with a 3.88 grade point average. She was accepted into the couple and family therapy master's program at K-State and will begin her graduate work in the fall of 2021.
Shankar continued to add accolades to his trophy case during the 2020-21 track seasons. He collected All-America honors in three events, including First Team honors in the high jump in the indoor and outdoor seasons and a Second Team nod in the triple jump during the indoor season.
During the 2021 outdoor track season, Shankar finished as the national runner-up in the high jump, the NCAA West regional runner-up and the 2021 Big 12 champion in the high jump. While collecting the Big 12 high jump title at the 2021 Big 12 Track and Field Championships in Manhattan, Shankar set the facility record with his clearance of 2.28m/7-05.75. He ended the weekend with 15 total points, as he also recorded a fourth-place finish in the triple jump with a season-best mark of 16.00m/52-06.00.
In the 2021 indoor season, Shankar carded a third-place finish in the high jump and an 11th-place effort in the triple jump at the 2021 NCAA Indoor Championships.
At the 2021 Big 12 Indoor Championships, Shankar strung together a stellar performance. He finished the weekend as the men's Big 12 Indoor High Point Award winner by scoring 21.25 points. Shankar laid claim to the indoor high jump title for the third straight season, then added a second-place finish in the triple jump, a fourth-place finish in the 4x400-meter relay and a seventh-place finish in the long jump.
In the classroom, Shankar garnered 2021 Academic All-Big 12 First Team honors and was named to both the Fall 2020 and the Spring 2021 Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll.
He graduated with his degree in finance and is currently enrolled in K-State's master's program in accounting.
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