SAN FRANCISCO – The Pac-12 Conference announced the 2022-23 Pac-12 Tom Hansen Conference Medal recipients Thursday, June 29, with baseball's Jacob McKeon and women's soccer's Mykiaa Minniss being selected as Washington State's representatives for the award.
A Tom Hansen Conference Medal is awarded annually to each member institution's outstanding senior male and female student-athlete based on the exhibition of the greatest combination of performance and achievement in scholarship, athletics, and leadership. Conference medal winners have been named every year since the 1960-61 academic year. In 2009, the Pac-12 renamed the award the Tom Hansen Conference Medal in honor of Hansen, who retired at the end of June 2009 after serving for 26 years as Commissioner of the Pac-10.
Jacob McKeon, Baseball (Phoenix, Ariz.)
Completed bachelor's degree in kinesiology, graduating in 2023 with a 3.95 GPA … 2023 Pac-12 Baseball Scholar-Athlete of the Year, first Cougar to earn the honor since 2014 … Two-time College Sports Communicators All-American (2023 First Team, 2022 Second Team) … 2023 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District … Three-time Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll (2021-23) … Two-time American Baseball Coaches Association All-West Region selection (2023 First Team, 2022 Second Team) … Two-time All-Pac-12 performer, first Cougar to earn back-to-back All-Conference honors since 2014-15 … Two-time team captain … As a senior in 2023, recorded a .341 batting average and finished with career highs in runs (52), hits (70), doubles (18), home runs (8) and RBI (47) … The designated hitter tallied 21 multi-hit games, including the team's only five-hit game of the season, collected 14 multi-RBI games and finished the season with a 30-game on-base streak … In three seasons in Pullman, finished career just outside the top-10 in career batting average (.344) and doubles (46) … Named one of WSU's Top Ten Graduating Seniors, an 80-year tradition where the university recognizes the top 10 seniors in each graduating class … For the last two summers, volunteered in a Lentil Cookoff event as part of WSU's partnership with WSU ROAR, a two-year postsecondary education program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Mykiaa Minniss, Women's Soccer (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
Earned a bachelor's degree in human development … November 2021 Washington State Student-Athlete of the Month … Two-time All-Pac-12 Third Team honoree (2020, 2022) … 2018 All-Pac-12 Freshman honoree … 2021 All-Pac-12 First Team honoree … Two-time United Soccer Coaches All-Pacific Region (2021 - First Team, 2022 - Third Team) … Earned the most career starts by a field player in program history (92) … Led the backline with over 8,300 minutes played … Scored overtime goal to propel the Cougars into the 2019 College Cup … Member of the WSU Black Student-Athlete Association … Drafted by the Kansas City Current in the 3rd round (35th overall) of the 2023 NWSL Draft.
