2025 Cougar Choice Award Nominees Revealed

HOUSTON – The University of Houston Athletics Department will celebrate its historic 2024-25 calendar year with the Cougar Choice Awards, set for Wednesday, April 30 at 6:45 p.m. from the Fertitta Center. The closed-door event is not open to the public.

The annual award show celebration features 18 categories, including newly named Chevron UH Athletics Team of the Year and the Mike Cemo Award, which honors the enduring dedication of former Houston student-athletes who have generously contributed their time and efforts to uplift the Athletics Department while also achieving remarkable success in their respective endeavors.

Brooke Kirchhofer will host this year's event with award winners being announced in real time on Houston Athletics X and Facebook accounts.

Rich Stotter Champion for Life

Men's Basketball guard LJ Cryer earned All-America honors from five organizations and was the Associated Press Big 12 Conference Player of the Year while winning the Big 12 regular-season title for the fourth time in his career.
Volleyball middle blocker Barakat Rahmon is a three-time Academic All-Conference selection while leading the Cougars defensively in blocks while playing in all 28 matches in 2024 and enters the 2025 season as the longest tenured Cougar.
Women's Golfer Anna Economon is a three-time American Athletic Conference All-Academic selection while leading Houston's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and serving as the Chairwoman of the Big 12's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
Track and Field pole vaulter Kaylee Daniel is a member of Life Skills Council where she gives back to the community through service projects and holds the fifth-best pole vault mark in program history as just a freshman.

Male Rookie of the Year

Football punter Liam Dougherty never wore a football helmet before 2024 when he finished 35th nationally in net yards per punt and kicked a 65-yard punt against Kansas State to earn Big 12 weekly honors.
Men's Basketball guard Mercy Miller scored 12 points against Louisiana and grabbed nine rebounds against Hofstra while aiding the Cougars run to the NCAA Tournament National Championship game.
Men's Track and Field sprinter Cayden Broadnax ran a vital leg of Houston's bronze medaling 4x100-meter relay team at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and earned Academic All-Big 12 Rookie honors.

Female Rookie of the Year

Women's Golfer Annika Ishiyama posted par or lower scores in nine of the first 11 rounds to open her collegiate career and started her career with four-straight top 20 finishes.
Women's Track and Field sprinter Invida Maurina was the only freshman on the women's side to score at the Big 12 Indoor Championship with a fourth-place finish in the 600-yard run and is the school record holder in the event.
Softball utility woman Brooke Wells was named the Big 12's top freshman by Softball America after clubbing eight home runs and driving in 40 runs through April 15 and was ranked the #9 freshman in the country.

Male Cougar of the Year

Basketball guard LJ Cryer became a 1,000-point scorer in his Houston career while being a member of four Big 12 conference regular-season titles culminating in an NCAA Tournament National Championship Game appearance
Basketball forward J'Wan Roberts became the winningest Cougar in program history, passed the 1,000 point and 1,000 rebound marks, while helping Houston to its third National Championship appearance.
Golfer Hudson Weibel leads Houston golfers in scoring average and posted three-straight rounds in the 60s in the fall while leading the team to a second-place finish in the Bahamas.
Track and Field jumper Antrea Mita was the Big 12 champion in the high jump while jumping to All-America honors indoors.

Female Cougar of the Year

Basketball guard Laila Blair set the program record for three-pointers made and finished her career second all-time in scoring while at Houston with 1,975 points scored.
Volleyball libero Kate Georgiades finished her career 22nd in NCAA history in career digs while earning All-America, All-Region, and All-Big 12 honors.
Swimmer Henrietta Fangli qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 100 and 200 breaststroke and broke her own school record twice at the Big 12 Championships to earn the silver medal.
Track and Field thrower KeAyla Dove posted the third-best shot put mark in NCAA history, won the Big 12 championships in February and won the bronze medal at the NCAA Championships in February.
Golfer Moa Svendeskiold tied for fifth at the NCAA Regional while falling just shy of an NCAA Championship bid in 2024. She leads the Cougars this year in scoring average and rounds of par or lower.

Chevron UH Athletics Team of the Year

Men's Basketball won a school-record 35 games on their way to their seventh Final Four and third National Championship game appearance while becoming the first school in more than 100 years to join a major conference and win the regular-season title in its first two years in the new league.
Swimming & Diving finished third at the Big 12 Championships and sent three swimmers and a diver to the NCAA Championships with Henrietta Fangli becoming the first Houston swimmer to earn All-America First Team honors since 1986 by result.
Men's Track and Field finished sixth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships with Louie Hinchliffe winning the 100-meter dash title, Christian Sampy finishing third in the pole vault, the 4x100-meter relay finishing third and nine Cougars earning All-America First-Team honors.

Game of the Year

Football upsets #17/15 Kansas State for first ranked win since 2021
Men's Basketball erases 14-point deficit in Final Four vs. Duke to advance to third National Championship game
Women's Basketball upsets #24 Oklahoma State for first ranked win at home since 2021
Football forced and recovered two fumbles, intercepted the TCU quarterback twice and held the Horned Frogs to just six first-half points as Houston earned its second Big 12 Conference road win in program history with a 30-19 win in Fort Worth.

Play of the Year

Milos Uzan buzzer-beating layup to beat Purdue in Sweet 16
KeAyla Dove posts third-best shot put mark in NCAA history
Mylik Wilson overtime 3-pointer to force second overtime in Men's Basketball's win at Kansas

Head Coach of the Year

Tanica Jamison, Swimming & Diving
David Rehr, Volleyball
Kelvin Sampson, Men's Basketball
Lydia Gumm, Women's Golf

Eight additional awards will be announced on Wednesday night ranging from Academic awards to Best Dressed. Winners will be announced live on X via @UHCougars and on Facebook via the Houston Athletics page.

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