MANHATTAN, Kan. – For the first time in the history of the Big 12 Conference, K-State women’s basketball has been selected as the preseason favorites in the 2024-25 Preseason Big 12 Coaches Poll announced by the league office on Thursday.
In addition to the poll results, K-State senior center Ayoka Lee was named the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year, while senior guard Serena Sundell joined Lee on the Preseason All-Big 12 Team.
The Big 12 coaches selected K-State as the preseason favorite with 7 first-place votes and 211 total points. Iowa State was second with 6 first-place votes and 209 points. Baylor was third with 2 first-place votes and 194 points while TCU was in fourth with 185 points and West Virginia was fifth with 1 first-place vote and 184 points.
The Wildcats enter the 2024-25 season with the return of 10 letter winners, including four starters from last season’s 2024 NCAA Tournament squad.
The 10 returning letter winners were responsible for 85 percent of K-State’s scoring, 87 percent of the team’s rebounds and 81 percent of the team’s rebounding in the 2023-24 season.
For the Preseason All-Big 12 Team, this was the second straight season in which K-State placed two players on the Preseason All-Big 12 team, as Lee and Gabby Gregory earned the early season honor in 2023-24.
Lee is the third K-State women’s basketball player to earn Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year honors, joining Nicole Ohlde (2002-03 and 2003-04) and Kendra Wecker (2004-05).
During the 2023-24 season, Lee was a Second Team All-America selection by The Athletic, a Third Team All-America honoree by The Sporting News, an honorable mention Associated Press All-American, an honorable mention WBCA All-American, a 2024 John R. Wooden Award National Ballot top-15 candidate, an All-Big 12 First Team selection, a Big 12 All-Defensive Team member and Big 12 All-Tournament Team recipient.
Lee, a four-time All-Big 12 First Team selection, averaged 19.7 points on a .619 field goal percentage, 8.6 rebounds and 2.78 blocked shots. She was the first player in program history with two or more seasons of 500 or more points, 200 or more rebounds and 75 or more blocks. Her 75 blocks were the sixth-most in program history and was her third career season with 75 or more blocked shots.
She ranked sixth in the nation and paced the Big 12 in field goal percentage. Lee was third in the Big 12 in scoring average, second in the league and ninth in the nation for blocks per game and third in the Big 12 for rebounding average.
Lee recorded 14 games last season with 20 or more points including her second career 20-20 double-double with 24 points, 21 rebounds and five blocked shots against Oral Roberts.
In the 2023-24 season, Lee led the Big 12’s top defense with 21 games of two or more blocked shots including a season-high seven at UCF on Jan. 6 and at Iowa State on Feb. 14.
In her career, Lee ranks third in school history for points scored with 2,194, holds the school record for career scoring average at 19.2, owns the school record for career rebounds with 1,118, holds the school record for career rebounding average at 9.8, the school record holder for career blocks with 310 and blocks per game at 2.72 and owns the school record for career double-doubles with 60. She is the first player in program history with 300 or more career blocks and 100 or more career steals.
Sundell, a 2023-24 All-Big 12 First Team selection, was second on the team in scoring in 2023-24 with 12.1 points per game on a career-best .536 field goal percentage. She led the Big 12 for total assists (189) and assists per game (5.6 apg). The All-American candidate was second for Big 12-only games with 5.7 assists per game, she ranked fourth in league-only games for field goal percentage (.539) and was 12th in conference play for scoring (13.82 ppg).
With her points (411) and assists (189) totals last season, Sundell was the first player in program history and the third Big 12 player since at least 2009-10 to record three seasons with 350 or more points and 150 or more assists.
In her career, Sundell is fourth in school history for career assists with 549 and is second in program history for career assists per game (5.3 apg). She ranks 22nd on the K-State career scoring list with 1,263 points. She is the only player in school history with 1,000 or more career points, 500 or more career assists and 50 or more career blocked shots.
K-State women’s basketball season tickets are available now. Prices start at just $75 with a Wildcat 4-Pack to see every game in Bramlage. Order now by visiting kstatesports.com/tickets or calling 1-800-221-CATS.
2024-25 Big 12 Preseason Coaches Poll
1. K-State (7, 1st place votes), 211 Points
2. Iowa State (6), 209
3. Baylor (2), 194
4. TCU, 185
5. West Virginia (1), 184
6. Utah, 149
7. Arizona, 136
8. Kansas, 128
9. Colorado, 113
10. Texas Tech, 84
11. Oklahoma State, 80
12. BYU, 59
13. Cincinnati, 56
14. UCF, 54
15. Arizona State, 51
16. Houston, 27
2024-25 Preseason All-Big 12 Team
Sarah Andrews, Baylor
Aaronette Vonleh, Baylor
Kaitlin Peterson, UCF
Audi Crooks, Iowa State *
S’Mya Nichols, Kansas
Ayoka Lee, K-State *
Serena Sundell, K-State
Hailey Van Lith, TCU
Gianna Kneepkens, Utah
JJ Quinerly, West Virginia *
*-indicates unanimous selection
2024-25 Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year
Ayoka Lee, K-State
2024-25 Preseason co-Newcomers of the Year
Aaronette Vonleh, Baylor
Hailey Van Lith, TCU
2024-25 Preseason Freshman of the Year
Tabitha Betson, Colorado
