Baylor's Ezekiel, Brown Named Big 12 Athlete of the Year Nominees

WACO, TX — Baylor University’s Nathaniel Ezekiel and Alexis Brown have been selected as the school’s nominees for the 2024-25 Big 12 Athlete of the Year award, the conference announced Tuesday.

Ezekiel, a senior from Delta State, Nigeria, was named the USTFCCCA Men’s Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year and earned Big 12 Performer of the Year honors for both the indoor and outdoor seasons. He became Baylor’s first outdoor national champion in the 400-meter hurdles since 2001, winning the event with a time of 47.49 — the third-fastest mark in collegiate history.

Ezekiel also captured the Big 12 Outdoor Championship title in the 400-meter hurdles and was the Big 12 Indoor champion in the 400 meters. He finished as the NCAA Indoor National Runner-Up in the 400 meters and became the first Baylor athlete to be named a finalist for The Bowerman, the top award in collegiate track and field. He graduated in four years with a degree in communication studies.

Brown, a graduate student from Kennedale, Texas, made history as Baylor’s first NCAA Indoor National Champion in the long jump and earned a bronze medal in the same event at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. She won both the Big 12 Indoor and Outdoor titles in the long jump and was named the Big 12 Outdoor Women’s Performer of the Year.

Brown also earned All-America honors in the 60 meters (First Team) and the 4x100 relay (Second Team). She became Baylor’s first Big 12 Outdoor Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

The Big 12 will announce its 2024-25 Athletes of the Year on Thursday, July 24. One male and one female athlete were nominated by each of the league’s 16 member institutions. To be eligible, student-athletes had to be in good academic standing and participate in a Big 12-sponsored sport. Winners will be revealed on Big12Sports.com and the conference's social media platforms.