Kihei Akina and Simon Kwon received Big 12 honors and awards, the conference announced on May 11. Akina was named the 2026 Big 12 Freshman of the Year and earned a spot on the All-Big 12 First Team. Kwon was selected to the All-Big 12 Second Team.
The recognition highlights notable achievements by both athletes during the season. Akina claimed two individual titles and had seven top-5 finishes, including two second-place results, which contributed to his ranking as the No. 6 golfer nationally and second-highest in the Big 12. His best tournament performance came at the Bridgestone Collegiate Invitational, where he set a school record with a score of 21-under-par (195). He recently finished as runner-up at The Big 12 Men’s Golf Championship.
Akina led his team in eight out of twelve events during the season, finishing with a scoring average of 68.92. “Akina was named the 2026 Big 12 Freshman of the Year and earned an All-Big 12 First Team nod.” Kwon achieved four top-5 finishes and six top-10 finishes this season, with his best showing coming at The Tindall tournament where he tied for third place with a score of ten-under-par (206). He finished with an average score of 70.76 for the season.
The Player and Freshman of the Year awards were determined by Clippd rankings, while Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Head Coach of the Year were chosen by votes from league head coaches who could not vote for their own student-athletes.
Other award recipients include Preston Stout from Oklahoma State as Player of the Year, Will King from Kansas as Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and Alan Bratton from Oklahoma State as Coach of the Year.
