Katie Martincich (Kansas) and Mamadou Diene (Baylor) were named the 2007-08 Big 12 Sportspersons of the Year, the conference announced. Martincich was a junior on the 2007 Jayhawk volleyball squad while Diene completed his junior year on the Bears' basketball team.

The Sportspersons of the Year Award was started in 2000-01 to annually recognize student-athletes who displayed an extraordinary degree of sportsmanship and/or community service during the academic year. Martincich and Diene were selected by a media panel. The Big 12's recipients are nominated for the NCAA Sportsmanship Award.

Martincich has been involved in KU student-athletes' community outreach projects in her three years on campus including Habitat for Humanity, the Susan G. Komen Foundation and National Girls and Women in Sports Field Day celebration. She also assisted with providing and wrapping gifts for underprivileged children at Christmas.

The Shawnee, Kan., native was elected by her peers to be a member of the Jayhawk Executive Board. After learning of the Big 12's initiative to grow its relationship with Special Olympics, Martincich organized a meeting with fellow student-athletes and Chris Hahn, the CEO of Special Olympics Kansas. This resulted in the inaugural Jayhawk SAAC sponsored Special Olympics Bowling Challenge, held on May 4 in Lawrence. Martincich met with the owners of a local bowling alley and convinced them to donate use of the entire facility and game room for the event. More than 100 Special Olympians and 100 KU student-athletes participated.

Since his arrival from the Senegal, Mamadou has been active in the Baylor community participating in service projects such as the Waco Independent School District's Raise Your Game, South Bosque Elementary School and the Hillcrest Professional School Health Fair. He is a member of BU's Student-Athlete Advisory Council, has been selected as the 2008 Wilma Rudolph Award winner and participated in the 2006 NCAA Leadership Conference in Orlando, Fla.

To help minimize his expenses, the 7-0 center does not own a car or cell phone so that he can send money back to the Senegal to help support his family. Both of his parents died prior to his 14th birthday, leaving his older sisters to raise him. He is the first member of his family to attend a university and is on track to graduate in August, just 3.5 years after arriving at Baylor.

BIG 12 SPORTSPERSONS OF THE YEAR

Female
2001 Kim Woodlee, Kansas State; basketball
2002 Natalie Ritchie, Texas Tech; basketball
2003 Laura Pilakowski, Nebraska; volleyball
2004 Jessika Stratton, Baylor; basketball
2005 Richelle Simpson, Nebraska; gymnastics
2006 Jodie Heinicka, Missouri; gymnastics
2007 Amanda Costner, Kansas; golf
2008 Katie Martincich, Kansas; volleyball

Male
2001 Dan Alexander, Nebraska; football
2002 Cael Sanderson, Iowa State; wrestling
2003 Jeff Leise, Nebraska; baseball
2004 Mark Clayton and Lynn McGruder, Oklahoma; football
2005 Ahmard Hall, Texas; football
2006 Parker Dalton, Texas A&M; baseball
2007 Carl Pendleton, Oklahoma; football
2008 Mamadou Diene, Baylor, basketball