Kansas Places 62 Student-Athletes on Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team
6/30/2026 1:00:00 PM | Baseball, Football, General, Men's Basketball, Track & Field, Softball, Women's Basketball, Women's Golf, Women's Rowing, Women's Soccer, Women's Swimming and Diving, Women's Tennis, Women's Track and Field, Women's Volleyball
LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Big 12 Conference announced the 2025-26 Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team on Tuesday, with a combined 776 student-athletes earning the honor. Kansas athletic programs had 62 student-athletes recognized with a spot on the team.
Of KU's 62 total honorees, 14 earned a perfect 4.0 grade point average (GPA) for the 2025-26 academic year. Individuals with a 4.0 GPA include Talia Copoloff, Suyin Howard, Katariina Peipman and Claire Van Mater (rowing), Marit McLaughlin, Molly Shepherd, Mary Sola and Lydia Viets (soccer), Sarah Blake, Hannah Green and Rebecca Pickert (swim and dive), Gergo Takacs (men's track & field), Naomi Hunter (women's track & field) and Logan Bell (volleyball).
Nominated by each institution's director of student-athlete support services, student-athletes on the Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team must be new, first-time/incoming freshmen that have completed 24 semester hours of non-remedial coursework and achieved a cumulative GPA of at least 3.00.
Additionally, the student-athlete must have participated in at least one of their team's scheduled contests and must have been a member of their respective team for their sport's entire NCAA Championship segment. The Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team was introduced in the 2012-13 academic year.
The Kansas rowing team led the way with 12 individuals honored, followed by nine from football and soccer and eight from the swim and dive team. Other team totals include five from softball, four from men's basketball and women's basketball, three from women's track and field, two from men's track and field, baseball and women's golf, and one apiece from tennis and volleyball.
Below is a full list of Kansas student-athletes on the 2025-26 Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team.
Of KU's 62 total honorees, 14 earned a perfect 4.0 grade point average (GPA) for the 2025-26 academic year. Individuals with a 4.0 GPA include Talia Copoloff, Suyin Howard, Katariina Peipman and Claire Van Mater (rowing), Marit McLaughlin, Molly Shepherd, Mary Sola and Lydia Viets (soccer), Sarah Blake, Hannah Green and Rebecca Pickert (swim and dive), Gergo Takacs (men's track & field), Naomi Hunter (women's track & field) and Logan Bell (volleyball).
Nominated by each institution's director of student-athlete support services, student-athletes on the Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team must be new, first-time/incoming freshmen that have completed 24 semester hours of non-remedial coursework and achieved a cumulative GPA of at least 3.00.
Additionally, the student-athlete must have participated in at least one of their team's scheduled contests and must have been a member of their respective team for their sport's entire NCAA Championship segment. The Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team was introduced in the 2012-13 academic year.
The Kansas rowing team led the way with 12 individuals honored, followed by nine from football and soccer and eight from the swim and dive team. Other team totals include five from softball, four from men's basketball and women's basketball, three from women's track and field, two from men's track and field, baseball and women's golf, and one apiece from tennis and volleyball.
Below is a full list of Kansas student-athletes on the 2025-26 Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team.
| NAME | SPORT |
| Emerson McKnight, Kansas | Baseball |
| Madden Seidl, Kansas | Baseball |
| Samis Calderon, Kansas | Men's Basketball |
| Darryn Peterson, Kansas | Men's Basketball |
| Kohl Rosario, Kansas | Men's Basketball |
| Bryson Tiller, Kansas | Men's Basketball |
| Tatyonna Brown, Kansas | Women's Basketball |
| Jaliya Davis, Kansas | Women's Basketball |
| Libby Fandel, Kansas | Women's Basketball |
| Keeley Parks, Kansas | Women's Basketball |
| Dane Efird, Kansas | Football |
| Jackson Cook, Kansas | Football |
| Tate Nagy, Kansas | Football |
| Anderson Kopp, Kansas | Football |
| Justin Thurman, Kansas | Football |
| Bryson Hayes, Kansas | Football |
| Malachi Curvey, Kansas | Football |
| Adrian Holley, Kansas | Football |
| Garrett Martin, Kansas | Football |
| Marieke Ebens, Kansas | Women's Golf |
| Kinslea Jones, Kansas | Women's Golf |
| Talia Copoloff, Kansas* | Rowing |
| Megan Engerman, Kansas | Rowing |
| Ashley Herbert, Kansas | Rowing |
| Suyin Howard, Kansas* | Rowing |
| Gracie Lindaman, Kansas | Rowing |
| Naida Paschal, Kansas | Rowing |
| Katariina Peipman, Kansas* | Rowing |
| Kenzington Rector, Kansas | Rowing |
| Samantha Ronen, Kansas | Rowing |
| Savanna Torres, Kansas | Rowing |
| Claire Van Mater, Kansas* | Rowing |
| Vivian Zaruba, Kansas | Rowing |
| Marit McLaughlin, Kansas* | Soccer |
| Faith Johnston, Kansas | Soccer |
| Sophia Mir, Kansas | Soccer |
| Avery Rasmussen, Kansas | Soccer |
| Jordan Rowan, Kansas | Soccer |
| Molly Shepherd, Kansas* | Soccer |
| Becca Smith, Kansas | Soccer |
| Mary Sola, Kansas* | Soccer |
| Lydia Viets, Kansas* | Soccer |
| Blakely Barber, Kansas | Softball |
| Ella Boyer, Kansas | Softball |
| Sam Claire, Kansas | Softball |
| Lila Partridge, Kansas | Softball |
| Audri Youngblood, Kansas | Softball |
| Sarah Blake, Kansas* | Women's Swimming and Diving |
| Sammy Cummins, Kansas | Women's Swimming and Diving |
| Kelly Estebo, Kansas | Women's Swimming and Diving |
| Hannah Green, Kansas* | Women's Swimming and Diving |
| Kelsey Healy, Kansas | Women's Swimming and Diving |
| Rebecca Pickert, Kansas* | Women's Swimming and Diving |
| Aubrey Tuthill, Kansas | Women's Swimming and Diving |
| Madison Wagner, Kansas | Women's Swimming and Diving |
| Kinley VanPelt, Kansas | Women's Tennis |
| Devan Mathis, Kansas | Men's Track and Field |
| Gergo Takacs, Kansas* | Men's Track and Field |
| Naomi Hunter, Kansas* | Women's Track and Field |
| Alice Lindgren Engelblom, Kansas | Women's Track and Field |
| Abigail O'Leary, Kansas | Women's Track and Field |
| Logan Bell, Kansas* | Volleyball |
Players Mentioned
P
/ Softball
Pin
/ Women's Volleyball
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
C
/ Softball
F
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
P
/ Softball
WR
/ Football
/ Women's Rowing
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
LB
/ Football
F
/ Women's Basketball
/ Women's Golf
K
/ Football
/ Women's Rowing
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
G
/ Women's Basketball
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
WR
/ Football
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
/ Women's Rowing
DE
/ Football
/ Women's Rowing
/ Track & Field
FOR
/ Women's Soccer
/ Women's Golf
OL
/ Football
/ Women's Rowing
/ Track & Field
DE
/ Football
/ Track & Field
LHP
/ Baseball
MID
/ Women's Soccer
MID
/ Women's Soccer
WR
/ Football
/ Track & Field
G
/ Women's Basketball
P
/ Softball
/ Women's Rowing
/ Women's Rowing
G
/ Men's Basketball
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
DEF
/ Women's Soccer
/ Women's Rowing
/ Women's Rowing
G
/ Men's Basketball
FOR
/ Women's Soccer
RHP
/ Baseball
DEF
/ Women's Soccer
FOR
/ Women's Soccer
MID
/ Women's Soccer
/ Track & Field
RB
/ Football
F
/ Men's Basketball
/ Women's Rowing
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
/ Women's Rowing
/ Women's Tennis
M/D
/ Women's Soccer
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
OF
/ Softball
/ Women's Rowing
Friday, June 05
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Monday, June 01