Crooks Named to Wooden Award Late Midseason Top 20 List

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Iowa State junior Audi Crooks has been named to the John R. Wooden Award Late Midseason Top 20 Watch List, announced by Los Angeles Athletic Club Tuesday evening.

Selected by a panel of national college basketball experts, the list comprises 20 student-athletes who are frontrunners for the most prestigious honors in college basketball: the Wooden Award® All-American Team and the Wooden Award® Most Outstanding Player.

The nation's leading scorer has continued to prove herself as one of the most dominant players in the low post, averaging 25.9 points per game while shooting nearly 67 percent from the field. Crooks has also been a reliable presence on the boards, averaging 7.7 rebounds per game while recording 10 double-doubles through 24 games played this season. She has scored in double figures in 90 consecutive games, the longest active streak nationally, and became the fastest Big 12 women's basketball player in history to score her 2,000^th career point (89 games). Crooks has also improved her free throw percentage, connecting on 110-of-154 (71.4 percent) attempts at the line this season.

The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2026 John R. Wooden Award® Women's Player of the Year. Players not selected for the late midseason list remain eligible for inclusion on the Wooden Award® National Ballot. The National Ballot will feature 15 top players who have demonstrated to their universities that they meet or exceed the Wooden Award® qualifications. Wooden Award® voters will be invited to rank 10 of the 15 players on the ballot in order of preference when voting opens during the NCAA Tournament. Voters will also consider performances in the tournament's early rounds, players' contributions to their teams, and their character. The Wooden Award All-American Team will be announced during the week of the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight.

Celebrating its fiftieth year, the Wooden Award has featured special programming with first winner and ambassador Marques Johnson, culminating in the 2026 John R. Wooden Award presented by Principal. Winners, All-Americans, and the recipient of the Legends of Coaching Award, Matt Painter of Purdue, will be honored at the Los Angeles Athletic Club on Friday, April 10, 2026.