Iowa State wrestler Cael Sanderson has been named the male Big 12 Conference Athlete of the Year, the league office announced Tuesday. Oklahoma basketball player Stacey Dales-Schuman was named female Athlete of the Year.    Female and male athletes of the year are chosen by a panel of athletic administrators from each conference institution and media from each school's region. One female and one male student-athlete per school were nominated by the directors of athletics from each institution. The selections were based upon the 2001-02 athletic performance and academic achievement with citizenship as a tiebreaker.    Sanderson virtually broke every record and won every award he could garner in his four years on the Iowa State wrestling team. The Heber, Utah, native coached by Bobby Douglas is the most decorated and accomplished wrestler in NCAA history.     This past year Sanderson became the second wrestler in NCAA history to win four national titles and the first to do so with an unblemished record of 159-0. He went 39-0 his freshman year and 40-0 in each of the past three seasons. Sanderson won the Most Outstanding Wrestling Award at the NCAA Division I Championships all fours years at Iowa State and was the first freshman to earn such an honor. He was awarded the Dan Hodge Trophy in his last three seasons, an award given annually to the nation's best collegiate wrestler. Sanderson is the first and only multiple winner of the award.     Sanderson has already been a subject of an ESPN SportsCentury biography, appeared on a Wheaties box, and is a finalist for three ESPY Awards (July 10). Sanderson graduated from Iowa State last December with a bachelor's degree in Art & Design. He was a first team Academic All-America in 1999 and 2000 and two-time first team Academic All-Big 12 selection as well. Sanderson was known to have signed autographs for as long as three hours after a match this past season. He also made frequent stops at local elementary schools as well as weekly trips to the local Boys and Girls Club of Ames, Iowa.     Sanderson won this year's award among another great class of nominees. Other male student-athletes nominated included Baylor's Benjamin Becker (tennis); Colorado's Jorge Torres (cross country/track & field); Kansas' Scott Russell (track & field); Kansas State's Ben Leber (football); Missouri's Justin Gage (football/basketball); Nebraska's Eric Crouch (football); Oklahoma's Roy Williams (football); Oklahoma State's Frantisek Krepelka (tennis); Texas' Justin Simmons (baseball); Texas A&M's Chris Pinnock (track & field); and Texas Tech's Royce Ramey (tennis).    Dales-Schuman is the second Sooner and first female to win Big 12 Athlete of the Year honors. Last year OU football standout Josh Heupel was the male honoree. Dales-Schuman joins four Texas honorees for the Big 12 Female Athlete of the Year - track standout Nanceen Perry in 1997, diver Vera Ilyina in 1998, track star Suziann Reid in 1999, and volleyball/track standout Erin Aldrich in 2000 - and Nebraska volleyball/basketball star Greichaly Cepero last year. Dales-Schuman is also the first Sooner to be named female athlete of the year in either the Big Eight or Big 12 conferences.     Sanderson is the sixth honoree from the sixth different school for the Big 12 male honor. He joins Kansas basketball star and 1997 honoree Jacque Vaughn, Nebraska football standout Grant Wistrom in 1998, Texas Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams in 1999, Oklahoma State outstanding golfer Charles Howell III in 2000, and Huepel last year on the league male athlete of the year honors' list.     Sanderson is the fifth Iowa State student-athlete to be named its conference's male athlete of the year. Former Cyclone wrestler Chris Taylor was the first Big Eight honoree in 1973. Other ISU winners from the Big Eight years included Tim Krieger in 1989 (wrestling), Mike Busch in 1990 (baseball) and Fred Hoiberg in 1995 (basketball). Hoiberg was co-Big Eight Male Athlete of the Year with Nebraska football player Rob Zatechka.     It is literally a who's who when looking at past athletes of the year for the Big 12, Southwest Conference and Big Eight Conference.     Big 12 Conference Male Athlete of the Year Winners  1997 Jacque Vaughn, Kansas, basketball  1998 Grant Wistrom, Nebraska, football  1999 Ricky Williams, Texas, football  2000 Charles Howell, Oklahoma State, golf  2001 Josh Heupel, Oklahoma, football  2002 Cael Sanderson, Iowa State, wrestling    Previous Big Eight Conference Male Athlete of the Year Winners  1973 Chris Taylor, Iowa State, wrestling  1974 Lucious Selmon, Oklahoma, football  1975 Tom Rudd, Nebraska, football and Randy Hughes, Oklahoma, football  1976 Lee Roy Selmon, Oklahoma, football  1977 Nolan Cromwell, Kansas, football/track  1978 Terry Miller, Oklahoma State, football  1979 Kellen Winslow, Missouri, football  1980 Billy Sims, Oklahoma, football  1981 Bart Connor, Oklahoma, gymnastics and Rolando Blackman, Kansas State, basketball  1982 Jim Hartung, Nebraska, gymnastics  1983 Dave Rimington, Nebraska, football  1984 Mike Sheets, Oklahoma State, wrestling  1985 Joe Dial, Oklahoma State, track  1986 Scott Verplank, Oklahoma State, golf  1987 Danny Noonan, Nebraska, football  1988 Danny Manning, Kansas, basketball  1989 Tim Krieger, Iowa State, wrestling  1990 Mike Busch, Iowa State, baseball  1991 Doug Smith, Missouri, basketball  1992 Anthony Peeler, Missouri, basketball  1993 Rex Walters, Kansas, basketball  1994 Trev Alberts, Nebraska, football  1995 Rob Zatechka, Nebraska, football and Fred Hoiberg, Iowa State, basketball  1996 Tommie Frazier, Nebraska, football