Benally, Hamlin, Traore and Yussuf named to Big 12 Academic All-Rookie Team

Sydney Benally, Olivia Hamlin, Mariam Traore and Bolanle Yussuf were named to the Big 12 Academic All-Rookie Team on Tuesday, the Conference announced.

Author Austin Rustand
Benally, Hamlin, Traore and Yussuf named to Big 12 Academic All-Rookie TeamBenally, Hamlin, Traore and Yussuf named to Big 12 Academic All-Rookie Team
Jaren Wilkey/BYU Photo

IRVING, Texas — Four Cougar hoopsters — Sydney Benally, Olivia Hamlin, Mariam Traore and Bolanle Yussuf — were named to the Big 12 Academic All-Rookie Team on Tuesday, the Conference announced.

To earn Academic All-Rookie honors, each student-athlete must be a new, first-time/incoming freshman who has completed 24 credit hours of non-remedial coursework and achieved a cumulative GPA of at least 3.00. The student-athlete must have participated in at least one of their team’s scheduled contests and must have been a member of their respective team for their sport’s entire NCAA Championship segment.

The BYU women’s basketball team turned in a cumulative team GPA of 3.56 and a semester GPA of 3.73 this season, both of which are the highest since at least 2017.

Sydney Benally

Sydney Benally

Benally, a mechanical engineering major, turned in a 3.80 GPA in her first year at BYU while setting 14 freshman records, including the all-time marks for assists (148), games played (38) and games started (38). Benally was named the Big 12 Freshman of the Week on Dec. 1, 2025, after putting up 18 points, two rebounds, seven assists and two steals in BYU’s win over Virginia Tech at the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam.

The freshman came up big for the Cougars on numerous occasions, none more so than scoring 10 second-half points with three made triples in the WBIT Semifinal win over Kansas. She also dished a career-high 11 assists in her first collegiate game, a 91-57 win over Coastal Carolina.

Olivia Hamlin

Olivia Hamlin

Hamlin was BYU’s spark off the bench as she averaged 12.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.3 assists per game in 2025-26. The communications major who boasts a 3.51 GPA was named Honorable Mention All-Big 12 and was one of five players named to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team. Hamlin scored a career-high 23 points on three occasions: first in BYU’s 83-69 win over Iowa State, second in the WBIT Round of 16 against Missouri and against Kansas in the WBIT Semifinal, with 14 of her 23 coming in the second half.

The native of Santa Clara, Utah, led all Big 12 freshmen in steals (65) and steals per game (1.77) while earning two Big 12 Freshman of the Week honors. Hamlin set 16 top-15 marks in the BYU freshman record book, including the most games played (38), the third-most points (490) and steals (65) and the ninth-highest scoring average (12.90).

Bolanle Yussuf

Bolanle Yussuf

Yussuf was a force inside for BYU, averaging 5.4 points and 5.0 rebounds per game during her freshman campaign. The 6-foot-3 forward, who is preparing to study business, recorded a 3.88 GPA in her first season on campus, while setting 11 top-10 freshman marks. The native of Lagos, Nigeria, played in the most games by a freshman in BYU history with 38, notched the sixth-highest marks in blocked shots (33) and rebounds (33) and the 10th-best field goal percentage at 51.9 percent.

The freshman scored a career-high 13 points three times, in wins over Omaha, Houston and Colorado. Yussuf recorded her first-career double-double in BYU's win over Omaha, going for 13 points, 12 boards, with six coming on the offensive glass, a steal and a block.

Mariam Traore

Mariam Traore

Traore, a communications major, appeared in three games for the Cougars during her freshman season. The 6-foot-3 product of Kati, Mali, scored a career-high two points in games against UTEP (Dec. 13) and Missouri (March 23). Traore totaled four points, three rebounds and two steals during the 2025-26 campaign.