Cougars ranked 12th in Big 12 Preseason Poll – BYU Athletics – Official Athletics Website

IRVING, Texas – The Big 12 Conference released its 2024-25 preseason poll and preseason honors Thursday morning, with BYU picked to finish 12th in the 16-team conference.

Kansas State’s Ayoka Lee was named Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year, while Baylor’s Aaronette Vonleh and TCU’s Hailey Van Lith were honored as Preseason Co-Newcomer of the Year. Colorado’s Tabitha Beston was named the conference’s preseason Freshman of the Year.

Kansas State (211 points) edged out Iowa State (209 points) to clinch the conference’s top spot as the Wildcats received seven of the 16 first-place votes while the Cyclones received six. K-State and Iowa State each reached the Round of 32 in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

Baylor (194 points) was picked to finish third in the Big 12 and received two first-place votes, while TCU (185 points) finished fourth. West Virginia (184 points) is in fifth place despite one first-place vote.

The Bears reached the Sweet 16 last season before losing by four points to top-seeded USC. The Mountaineers reached the Round of 32 before losing to Caitlin Clark and the No. 1 seed Iowa Hawkeyes last season.

Utah (149 points), which reached the Round of 32 last season, will be selected sixth, while Arizona (136 points) will be selected seventh. Kansas (128 points) and Colorado (113 points) rank eighth and ninth, respectively, while Texas Tech (84 points) rounds out the top 10.

Oklahoma State (80 points) was picked to finish 11th, one spot ahead of BYU (59 points), which finished 12th. Cincinnati (56 points) was ranked 13th, UCF (54 points) was ranked 14th, Arizona State (51 points) was ranked 15th and Houston (27 points) rounded out the poll at 16th.

BYU head coach Amber Whiting, in her third season at the helm, returns just six players from last season and adds five freshmen and four transfers to her 2024-25 roster

“This team is going to look a lot different than last season, not just with the players on the field but with the way we play,” Whiting said. “The Big 12 Conference is filled from top to bottom with talented, experienced teams that require us to be at our best night in and night out. I’m optimistic about the progress my women have made during summer training and now in training, and I’m excited to see what they can accomplish when we take the floor next month.”

Although BYU lost its top two scorers from a year ago, Lauren Gustin (graduation) and Kailey Woolston (LDS-Mission), BYU returns three players with at least 10 each last season in Amari Whiting, Emma Calvert and Lauren Davenport games in the starting line-up. The Cougars added four transfers: Kemery (Martín) Congdon from Cal, Marya Hudgins from Santa Clara, Hattie Ogden from Buffalo and Kendra Gillispie from Arkansas State. Arielle Mackey-Williams, who was a key part of Whiting’s first team in 2022-23, will return for the 2024-25 season after missing last season with a knee injury.

Whiting also brings with him a highly touted group of freshmen led by Delaney Gibb, the 77th ranked player in ESPN’s 2024 HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings. Gibb will be joined by two-time Idaho 4A Player of the Year Brinley Cannon, three-time Utah 6A state champion Sarah Bartholomew and Naia Tanuvasa, and Idaho 5A All-State honoree Kambree Barber.

BYU will host Westminster College for an exhibition game on October 29th before opening the season on November 6th against the Idaho Vandals.