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OU’s Buddy Hield, Paige Parker Sweep Big 12 Athlete of the Year Awards

By Chip Rouse

Mar 20, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners guard Buddy Hield (24) reacts during the game against the Virginia Commonwealth Rams in the second round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 20, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners guard Buddy Hield (24) reacts during the game against the Virginia Commonwealth Rams in the second round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oklahoma capped off its most successful sports year as a member of the Big 12 by sweeping the conference Athlete of the Year Awards, which for 2015-16 go to Sooner stars Buddy Hield and Paige Parker.

Apr 2, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Oklahoma Sooners guard Buddy Hield (24) handles the ball against Villanova Wildcats guard Josh Hart (3) during the first half in the 2016 NCAA Men
Apr 2, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Oklahoma Sooners guard Buddy Hield (24) handles the ball against Villanova Wildcats guard Josh Hart (3) during the first half in the 2016 NCAA Men /

Hield, two-time Big 12 Player of the Year and All-American in men’s basketball and a consensus choice this past season as national player of the year, is the first Sooner men’s basketball player to be named Big 12 Athlete of the Year.

The Big 12’s leading scorer the past two seasons, Hield won an ESPY Award a couple of weeks ago as Male College Athlete of the Year.

Parker won 38 games as a starting pitcher for the Oklahoma softball team in 2016 and led the Sooners to their third national championship in the sport, defeating Auburn in the College World Series. This is the second consecutive year that an Oklahoma softball player has been named Big 12 Female Athlete of the Year. Lauren Chamberlain won the honor a year ago.

Hield started all 105 games his final three seasons in an Oklahoma uniform. The Sooner superstar averaged 25 points a game this past season, second best in the country, and led Oklahoma to its fifth Final Four appearance in school history.

The man they call “Buddy Buckets” led the country with an OU-record 147 made three-point shots, including shooting 46 percent from three-point range. He also set a Big 12 single-season record, scoring 925 points in 2015-16, including 12 games with 30 or more points, 19 of 25-plus points and 26 in which he scored at least 20 points.

In addition to his incredible performance on the court, Hield also was a two-time Academic All-Big 12 selection. He was named the winner of both the Wooden Award and the Naismith Trophy this past season as college basketball’s most outstanding player.

Only a sophomore this year, Parker is just getting started in her college career as a Sooner student-athlete. Her 38 wins this season set a new school record and was the best in the country. She posted a phenomenal 1.64 earned run average in 252.1 innings and struck out 269 hitters in her sophomore season. Her .927 winning percentage (38-3) this season is the third best in program history at Oklahoma.

Parker was the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year, the College World Series Most Outstanding Player and a First-Team All-American. She also was named to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team and the CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors’ Association) Academic All-America First Team.

This is the sixth time in Big 12 history and the first for Oklahoma that student-athletes from the same school claimed both the male and female Athlete of the Year awards. Eight times in the 20-year history of the Big 12 an OU student-athlete has been named Athlete of the Year in the conference.

Previous Big 12 Athlete of the Year honorees from Oklahoma were Chamberlain (softball, 2014-15), Keilani Ricketts (softball, 2012-13), Sam Bradford (football, 2008-09), Jason White (football, 2003-04) and Stacey Dales (women’s basketball, 2001-02).

The Sooners five Big 12 Athlete of the Year winners since Bradford won in 2008-09 leads the Big 12.

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