1. AYOKA LEE - CENTER
Ayoka Lee has been dominating ever since she suited up for Kansas State in 2019, but the year 2021 has been extra special for her. Her list of accolades is already lengthy due to her incredible freshman and sophomore seasons.
She's off to an even more impressive start in her third year.
In both seasons that fall in the year 2021, she has lived on Naismith, Wooden and Lisa Leslie Award Watch Lists.
There's a strong chance she wins at least one of those awards at the end of this season, as she ranks tied for third in points per game (23.8 ppg) and tied for 12th in rebounds per game (11.1 rpg) at the national level
Lee was named to the all-Big 12 first team last season, as well as all-region honors by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association and an honorable mention distinction by the WBCA.
She scored 43 points against Central Arkansas to set a new school recored for points in a single game. Lee also currently owns the K-State school record for career rebound average (10.1 rpg). She became the 44th player in program history to reach 1,000 points.
The cherry on top is her academic achievements, where she carries a 4.0 grade point average. Couple that with a path that suggests that she will shatter the record books at Kansas State.
Take a bow, Ayoka Lee. You're KSO's 2021 Player of the Year!
2. DEUCE VAUGHN - RUNNING BACK
The 2021 season has been one to remember for K-State running back Deuce Vaughn. He was strongly considered for the top spot and was the most valuable player for the Wildcat offense.
The most impressive accolade Vaughn was awarded was the 2021 consensus all-american selection by the NCAA as an all-purpose player. He became just the 11th player in program history to receive such status and the first since Tyler Lockett in 2014.
Vaughn also received first team all-american selections from the Associated Press and Sporting News. The American Football Coaches Association, CBS Sports and USA Today all gave him second team all-american honors.
He entered the bowl season ranking fifth in the nation in scrimmage yards per game and was one of only two players with 1,000 yards rushing and 400 yard receiving this season. His regular season ended with 1,258 rushing yards on 214 attempts and 471 receiving yards on 47 receptions.
His season is still in progress, as he is set to play in the Texas Bowl against LSU on January 4 in Houston.
With only 29 receiving yards in the bowl game, Vaughn can become just the fourth player in Big 12 history with 1,000 yards rushing and 500 yards receiving in the same season.
3. TEJASWIN SHANKAR - HIGH JUMP
Tejaswin Shankar has had an amazing Kansas State track and field career. He's a six-time all-american and five-time Big 12 Champion in the high jump for his career.
He received first team all-american high jump honors in 2021 for both indoor and outdoor track and field. He also was a 2021 second team Indoor all-american recipient in the triple jump.
Shankar owns the K-State school pentathlon record (an athletic event comprising five different events for each competitor) and also has the Indian national record in both indoor and outdoor high jump.
The 2021 season was great for Shankar, but his legacy will be forever remembered by an incredibly impressive overall track & field career in Manhattan.
4. ALIYAH CARTER - OUTSIDE HITTER
Aliyah Carter has had a heck of a first two seasons in the purple and white. The 2020 Big 12 Freshman of the Year was a unanimous all-Big 12 first team selection in both 2020 and 2021, and the only Wildcat to ever do so in their freshman and sophomore seasons.
She also has received all-region first team honors by the American Volleyball Coaches Association in both seasons.
Carter led the Wildcats to the 2021 NCAA tournament for the first time since 2016. Through her two seasons, she is second all-time in kills per set behind only former Kansas State star, Liz Wegner (1998-2001).
She also ranks first in that category since they installed rally-scoring in 2001.
Carter is on her way to becoming one of the most decorated volleyball players in school history. With only two seasons under her belt, she has plenty of career left to prove herself even further.
5. FELIX ANUDIKE-UZOMAH - DEFENSIVE END
While Deuce Vaughn was the most valuable player on the offense, Felix Anudike-Uzomah was the clear leader on the defense. As only a sophomore, he received 2021 first team all-Big 12 honors from the Associated Press and Big 12 coaches.
Anudike-Uzomah finished the regular season ranked first in the nation in forced fumbles with six. He also came in ninth in the nation and second in the Big 12 with 11 sacks.
He tied the school record for most sacks in a single game with four of them against TCU. He also notably saved the victory against Texas Tech with an incredible safety where he tackled a Red Raider running back in the end zone while being held by the offensive lineman.
Anudike-Uzomah could end up being the most dominant defensive lineman to ever come through Manhattan. He still has at least one more season to wreak havoc before moving on to the NFL.
6. JORDAN WICKS - PITCHER
The now professional baseball player, Jordan Wicks, put together a really impressive Wildcat career. The 2019 Big 12 Freshman of the year was named a 2021 third team all-american by the Collegiate Baseball newspaper, as well as named to the all-Big 12 first team.
His strikeout total in 2021 led the Big 12, and he set K-State's single-season record. Wicks also set the program's all-time strikeout record with 230 retired batters. He finished the 2021 season 6-3 with a 3.70 ERA and 118 strikeouts.
Although his efforts didn't take Kansas State to the postseason in 2021, he still will be remembered as one of the best pitchers in school history. He was selected 21st overall in the 2021 Major League Baseball draft by the Chicago Cubs and currently pitches for their single A affiliate, the South Bend Cubs.
7. COOPER BEEBE - OFFENSIVE LINEMAN
Like Anudike-Uzomah, offensive left tackle Cooper Beebe was also given first team all-Big 12 honors by the Associated Press. The sophomore is the only underclassman on the AP's first or second team as an offensive lineman.
The Kansas City native's efforts cannot go understated.
He played out of position the entire 2021schedule and still put together a nationally-recognized season. His natural position is on the interior, but being the most talented in the trenches, they needed him to protect the quarterback's blind side.
Great offensive linemen like BJ Finney, Cody Whitehair and Dalton Risner have come and gone, and Beebe is already cementing his legacy alongside those greats, with still at least one more season to play.
8. BROOKELYNN ENTZ - MIDFIELDER
What a K-State soccer career it was for Brookelynn Entz. She joined the team just a season after the program's birth in 2016 and played five years for the Wildcats. With that, she owns a whopping 28 career, season and single-game school records.
That includes records for career goals scored (19), career assists (13), total career points (51) and goals in a single-season (7).
She has been named to the all-Big 12 team three times throughout her career, including a second team selection by the conference's coaches in 2021. Entz was named all-Big 12 first team in 2020.
For a program still in its infancy, Entz will be remembered as a record-holder for years to come and as the foundation of Kansas State soccer.
9. ZACH KOKOSKA - RIGHT FIELDER
Junior Zach Kokoska had a great finish to the 2021 K-State baseball season. He was given all-central region first team honors by the American Baseball Coaches Association and Rawlings, while also being placed on the all-Big 12 second team.
His batting average in the Big 12 tournament was an impressive .421 and earned him a spot on the Big 12 Championship all-tournament Team.
Kokoska finished the season with an impressive .445 on base percentage as Kansas State's designated hitter. He earned the second-longest on-base streak by a Wildcat in the Big 12 era, with a 41-game streak spanning from February to May.
He was drafted in the 10th round of the MLB draft by the Colorado Rockies and currently resides on their single-A affiliate.
10. NIJEL PACK - POINT GUARD
Some would say Nijel Pack was snubbed from an all-Big 12 freshman team honor, but the poor overall team effort in the 2020-21 season may have kept him from that recognition.
What he did do though was prove right away that he was the most valuable offensive weapon when he ranked first or second on the team in most offensive categories as a freshman.
Pack was the first frosh to lead the Wildcats in scoring since Marcus Foster did so in 2013-14, and the only other freshman to do it outside of those two was Michael Beasley in 2007-08.
Along with Cade Cunningham of Oklahoma State and Mike Miles of TCU, Pack was just one of three true freshmen to rank in the Big 12's Top 20 in scoring for the 2020-21 season.
He completed his freshman year by being in the top 10 of nine freshman categories in school history, which included being second in three-point field goals made and third in three-point field goal percentage.
His 40.5 percent shooting from beyond the arc in 2020-2021 also ranked second in the league, overall.
It didn't lead to many wins or accolades, but Pack will always be remembered for one of the best freshman seasons in K-State history. He has continued as one of the best, if not the best, offensive weapon thus far in the 2021-22 season.
Honorable mentions: Daniel Green (football), Malik Knowles (football), Taylor Latimer (track & field), Mackenzie Morris (volleyball), Markquis Nowell (basketball), Dylan Phillips (baseball), Russ Yeast (football), Marisa Weichel (soccer)