McCabe, Wetherholt Earn Athlete of the Year Nominations

WVU's male and female Athlete of the Year nominees are strong contenders.

The Big 12 Conference announced its Athlete of the Year nominees from each program earlier today. One men's and one women's athlete were selected to represent their respective athletic departments.

The WVU Mountaineers selected baseball's JJ Wetherholt and track and field's Ceili McCabe as their candidates.

Eligibility requires student-athletes to make significant contributions to their teams and the athletic regard of their institutions while remaining in good academic standing.

Ceili McCabe

McCabe, a junior on the track and field and cross country teams, is one of WVU's most prolific athletes. During her time in the gold and blue thus far, she's compiled conference and national awards including First Team All-American, 2022 Big 12 Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Year, All-Big 12 First Team member, Outdoor Women’s Track and Field All-American (3,000m steeplechase), and Indoor All-American (3,000m). That's just in the past season.

She represented WVU at five meets during the 2022 cross country season, winning four. She was named the Big 12 Women's Runner of the Year, and won bronze in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

JJ Wetherholt

The sophomore second baseman spent the 2023 season on an absolute tear through the Big 12 and national standings. Along with his personal contributions, Wetherholt helped guide West Virginia to its first Big 12 baseball regular season title in program history. He was named a unanimous First Team All-American, 2023 Big 12 Player of the Year, and an All-Big 12 First Team member.

Wetherholt lead Division I batting statistics for most of the season, ending with a .449 average. He ended this season with 60 RBIs, 16 home runs, and 67 runs on 101 hits. He only struck out 22 times through 225 plate appearances. Ahead of the 2024 MLB Draft, Wetherholt has been predicted by a handful of mock drafts as the second pick.

Previously Announced Nominees

Baylor - Adam Flagler and Dominika Silvestri

Iowa State - David Carr and Ashley Joens

Kansas - Jalen Wilson and Rylee Anderson

Kansas State - Deuce Vaughn and Emma Robbins

Oklahoma - Vernon Turner and Jayda Coleman

Oklahoma State - Fouad Messaoudi and Maddison Hinson-Tolchard

TCU - Max Duggan and Messiah Bright

Texas - Eliot Spizzirri and Julien Alfred

Texas Tech - Ludvig Aberg and Ruta Lasmane

Wetherholt is the sole baseball player on the list, while seven of the league's 20 representatives were from track and field. McCabe, the lone female cross-country athlete, was joined by Anderson (high jump), Robbins (weight throw), Alfred (sprint), and Lasmane (long jump).

Male and female Athletes of the Year will be announced on July 31.

You can follow us on Facebook & Twitter for future coverage:

Facebook - @WVUonSI

Twitter - @MountaineersNow and Julia Mellett - @JuliaMellett