For the last time, the top female athlete in the Big 12 is a Texas Longhorn.

UT volleyball player Madisen Skinner has been named the Big 12 Female Athlete of the Year. Skinner was selected by a media panel to be honored for her athletic performance during the 2023-24 academic year. Each Big 12 school nominated one athlete for the award, which was announced Wednesday.

Houston basketball player Jamal Shead, a Central Texas native who hails from Manor, was named the Big 12 Male Athlete of the Year. Decathlete Leo Neugebauer was UT's nominee for the award.

Skinner is the 11th Longhorn to be named the Big 12 Female Athlete of the Year, which was first awarded during the 1996-97 school year. Last year, UT track and field standout Julien Alfred won the award.

Last fall, Skinner helped the Texas volleyball team successfully defend its national championship by averaging a team-high 4.8 kills per set and earning AVCA All-American honors. Skinner, a 6-foot-2 outside hitter who has one year of eligibility remaining, has won three national championships during a collegiate career that started at Kentucky.

Skinner and the Longhorns will open the 2024 volleyball season against Wisconsin on Sept. 1. In addition to making its Southeastern Conference debut this fall, Texas is aiming to become the first team to win three national titles in a row since Penn State secured four consecutive championships from 2007 to 2010.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas volleyball star Madisen Skinner is Big 12 Female Athlete of Year