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Iowa State University Athletics
Crooks Named Preseason Player of the Year, Brown Joins Preseason All-Big 12 Team
10.09.2025 | Women's Basketball
AMES, Iowa – Iowa State women's basketball had a pair of players earn preseason Big 12 honors while the Cyclones appeared second on the preseason coaches' poll, announced by the league Thursday morning. League head coaches voted on the honors and were not allowed to vote for their own team.
Audi Crooks was named the Conference's Preseason Player of the Year after leading Big 12 players in scoring average a season ago, posting 23.4 points per game on 60.5 percent shooting from the floor. The Algona, Iowa native represented Team USA at the FIBA AmeriCup this summer, helping capture the gold medal in Chile. Crooks is the fourth Cyclone to be named the league's Preseason Player of the Year and the first since Ashley Joens in 2022. The 6-3 center started all 35 contests as a sophomore and set the ISU single-season records for scoring (820) and made field goals (329). Crooks finished the year as an AP and USBWA Third Team All-American while earning Unanimous First Team All-Big 12 honors.
Addy Brown joined Crooks on the Preseason All-Big 12 Team, her first preseason honors from the league after earning Second Team All-Big 12 status a season ago. Brown is one of three returning NCAA Division I women's basketball players to average at least 15.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists last season. The Derby, Kansas native is the only player in program history to record at least 400 points, 250 rebounds and 150 assists in a single season and has exceeded the marks in each of her first two seasons as a Cyclone. The 6-2 forward has started all 68 games for Iowa State in the last two years and has recorded 18 double-doubles with 16 career 20-point games. She posted a career-high 41 points against Arizona State (March 6, 2025) in the Second Round of the Big 12 Championship, an Iowa State women's basketball conference tournament record.
2025-26 All-Big 12 Women's Basketball Preseason Team
Darianna Littlepage-Buggs, Baylor*
Bella Fontleroy, Baylor
Delaney Gibb, BYU*
Jade Masogayo, Colorado
Addy Brown, Iowa State
Audi Crooks, Iowa State*
S'Mya Nichols, Kansas*
Stailee Heard, Oklahoma State*
Olivia Miles, TCU*
Jordan Harrison, West Virginia
Players are sorted alphabetically by school
*Indicates unanimous selection
With nine returners from 2024-25 and transfer portal additions of Jada Williams (Arizona) and Evangelia Paulk (Wofford), Iowa State was picked second in the Big 12 Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Cyclones picked up two first-place votes and 202 total points to trail TCU with 219 total points.
2025-26 Big 12 Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. TCU (10) – 219 points
2. Iowa State (2) – 202 points
3. Baylor (2) – 200 points
4. Oklahoma State (2) – 186 points
5. West Virginia – 161 points
6. Kansas – 156 points
7. Kansas State – 143 points
8. Utah – 115 points
9. Colorado – 114 points
10. BYU – 85 points
11. Arizona State – 84 points
12. Cincinnati – 82 points
13. Texas Tech – 63 points
14. Arizona – 47 points
15. Houston – 41 points
16. UCF – 22 points
(first-place votes)
Players Mentioned
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