Jayda Coleman, Vernon Turner nominated for 2022-2023 Big 12 Athlete of the Year

The 2022-2023 athletic season has come to a close as we approach the start of the 2023-2024 season.

Two Oklahoma Sooners were nominated for Big 12 Athlete of the Year. One was softball star Jayda Coleman and the other was track and field star Vernon Turner.

Coleman started every game for the record-setting 61-1 Sooners who won the program’s third straight national championship. She was named the 2023 Big 12 Player of the Year. She was also an NFCA first team All-American selection for the third straight season.

She led the Big 12 in home runs (17), runs (71) and on-base slugging percentage (1.321).

She also led the Women’s College World Series with five runs scored, earning WCWS all-tournament team honors.

Off the field, she was selected to the OU president’s honor roll with a 4.0 GPA in the fall and to the dean’s honor roll with a 3.5-plus semester GPA in the spring.

Turner was named the 2023 Big 12 Men’s Outdoor Performer of the Year. He won the Big 12 men’s indoor and outdoor high jump titles while tying his school record in the outdoor high jump.

He was the runner-up in the men’s high jump at both the NCAA indoor and outdoor championships.

Off the field, he is pursuing a master’s degree in public relations and is a three-time Academic All-Big 12 first-team honoree. He volunteered at Norman high schools, teaching students about the importance of human relations.

RelatedEvery Oklahoma Sooner to win Big 12 Athlete of the Year

The 2022-23 Big 12 Athlete of the Year nominees will be featured each day at 10 a.m. CT and 2 p.m. CT, listed in alphabetical order by school through Friday, July 28.

Each institution nominated one male and one female athlete of any classification that competed for the institution during the school year. Student-athletes were required to be in good academic standing and had to be from a league-sponsored sport.

The 10 schools that competed during the 2022-23 academic year are eligible.

The winners will be announced Monday, July 31. Stay tuned to Big12Sports.com and the league’s social media platforms to see the rest of the candidates.

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Story originally appeared on Sooners Wire