Who was the best athlete on Mizzou's campus in 2020-21?
Missouri's 18 varsity athletic programs all completed their seasons amid a pandemic, with regular COVID-19 testing and mostly without big crowds cheering them on. Despite adversity along the way, plenty was accomplished by those who donned the black and gold from September to June. Here is a look at the top 10 Missouri Tiger athletes from the 2020-21 school year, with selections made by Eric Blum, the Tribune's Mizzou athletics beat reporter:  1. Brooke Wilmes, softball  As one of the integral players on one of the most successful Missouri teams of the year, Wilmes' All-American campaign tops the list. Wilmes was given the No. 1 slot because of her consistency in all facets of the game. At times, she had a Rickey Henderson-style plate demeanor. She could hit for power or contact from the leadoff spot. She combined with steady leadership from center field, committing only one error on the season for a fielding percentage of .987. At the plate, Wilmes was second on the team with a .369 batting average, 13 home runs and 55 RBIs. After starting all 59 games for the Tigers in 2021, Wilmes was named an NFCA third-team All-American, the first such honor of her career and No. 25 all-time for MU softball. Wilmes will return to Columbia in 2022, exercising her extra year of eligibility in hopes of leading the Tigers to the Women's College World Series. More:Blum's Banter: Tribbys mark annual celebration of Boone County high school sports  2. Keegan O'Toole, wrestling  Coming to Columbia, O'Toole was projected as high as the No. 2 recruit in the nation in 2020. The true freshman finished the regular season with a 9-0 record, with seven victories coming by technical fall or pinfall. O'Toole entered the NCAA championships at 167 pounds as the No. 6 overall seed. He won his first two matches at the event before a decision loss to eventual national runner-up Jake Wentzel in the quarterfinals. The Hartland, Wisconsin, native stormed back to win his final four matches to close the season 19-1. O'Toole's third-place finish at NCAAs, the best for Missouri this season, also earned him All-American honors. 3. Nick Bolton, football  The 5-foot-11, 237-pound Bolton was named a second-team Associated Press All-American in 2020. Bolton was also a first-team All-Southeastern Conference player and Butkus Award finalist, leading the Tigers with 95 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and five pass deflections in 10 games. The Frisco, Texas, native declared for the 2021 NFL Draft after Missouri's final game of the season, being selected No. 58 overall by the Kansas City Chiefs. Bolton's in-game presence may have been the strongest for any Tiger this school year, with opposing offenses having clear game plans to stay away from him. More:College football expert Phil Steele projects Mizzou to finish fourth in SEC East  4. Sienna Schreiber, gymnastics  At Missouri's 11 meets this past season, Schreiber missed only one total rotation, coming in the season opener in January. At the anchor spot for most events, Schreiber posted a season average four-event score of 39.193, scoring 9.750 or higher on every discipline. Schreiber finished the season at NCAA regionals with an all-around total of 39.525, a career high, with individual event scores of 9.925 on balance beam, a personal-best-tying 9.9 on vault and two scores of 9.85 on uneven bars and floor exercise. In March, Schreiber was named a Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association Regular Season All-American, claiming second-team honors on beam. 5. Danny Kovac, men's swimming & diving  The Fort Collins, Colorado, native ended his junior season in spectacular style, earning All-American status in five different events. During the NCAA championships, Kovac broke two school records. First was in the 200-meter butterfly, which he hadn't swam since high school prior to this past season. In Greensboro, North Carolina, Kovac finished with a time of 1 minute, 41.14 seconds in the consolation final to break his own school record set at the SEC championships. Kovac also broke his own Tiger record in the 100-meter butterfly. Additionally, he earned All-American status for the 200-meter individual medley, the 400-meter freestyle relay and the 400-meter medley relay. After the season ended, Kovac competed at the U.S. Olympic Trials, qualifying for the finals in the 100-meter butterfly. 6. Bronte Murgett, tennis  In her first season in Columbia, Murgett achieved history as the first individual in program history to win at the NCAA singles tournament. Murgett defeated Oklahoma State's Alana Wolfberg, 7-5, 7-5, advancing to the round of 32, where her season ended to Auburn's Selin Ovunc. Being placed in the No. 1 role for the Tigers, Murgett finished the season with an 18-8 record and is expected to be nationally ranked to begin the 2022 season. Murgett follows Urska Juric (2003) and Bea Machado Santos (2016) to compete in the singles portion of the national tournament, with each previous Tiger falling in the first round. Alongside Missouri teammate Marta Oliveira, Murgett was also an alternate for the NCAA doubles tournament. 7. Dru Smith, men's basketball  Smith was a leader for the Tigers' return to March Madness as one of three players to start every game for the team. Smith was Missouri's co-leading scorer, along with Xavier Pinson, at 14.1 points per game. The Evansville, Indiana, native led the Tigers in minutes played, averaging 33.9 per game this past season. He also paced the team in steals (51) and assists (97). Smith scored 20 points and played 39 minutes in Missouri's NCAA Tournament loss against Oklahoma. In March, Smith was named to the SEC coaches all-conference first team and all-defensive team. 8. Brock Mauller, wrestling  The Columbia native continued his winning ways in 2021 with a third straight Mid-American Conference title and All-American honor. Mauller finished the regular season 10-0 and entered the NCAA championships undefeated as the No. 3 overall seed at 149 pounds. The former Tolton standout won his first three matches at NCAAs before falling to eventual national champion Austin O'Connor in the semifinals. After a consolation loss, Mauller finished his season at 18-2 with a win over Kyle Parco. 9. Kylie Deberg, volleyball  In her final season at Missouri, Deberg helped lead the volleyball team to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year. Deberg easily led the Tigers with 505 points scored. In second place was Anna Dixon with 295.5. A 6-foot-4 Hudson, Iowa, native, Deberg also led the team in kills (433) and kills per set (4.76). She made 190 digs and 50 blocks on the season. In April, Deberg was named a second-team All-American, her third straight season-ending national honor. Deberg was the fourth Tiger to garner three or more All-American selections, following Alyssa Munlyn (2015-18), Carly Kan (2013-14, '16) and Lisa Henning (2011-13). 10. Aijha Blackwell, women's basketball  The St. Louis native again played beyond her years in a Tiger uniform, starting all 21 games she appeared in for the team this past season. Blackwell was Missouri's leading scorer for the second straight season with 14.1 points per game. She also averaged 27.3 minutes per game and had a field-goal percentage of .474. She was the only Tiger basketball player, male or female, to average a double-double, as she hauled in 10.6 rebounds per game. Before the beginning of the SEC Tournament, Blackwell was awarded second-team all-conference honors. Honorable mentions  - Connor Bazelak, football  - Sarah Chapman, women's cross country  - Skylar Ciccolini, women's track & field  - Julissa Cisneros, soccer  - Jack Dahlgren, men's swimming & diving  - Rocky Elam, wrestling  - Arianna Fisher, women's track and field  - Hayley Frank, women's basketball  - Mara Hausler, women's track and field  - Trajan Jeffcoat, football  - Jenna Laird, softball  - Hatti Moore, softball  - Georgi Nachev, men's track and field  - Ross Steelman, men's golf  - Jeremiah Tilmon, men's basketball  - Savana Trueb, women's swimming & diving  - Mitch Weber, men's track and field  - Kieran Wood, men's cross country  - Jessica Yuen, women's golf  Contact Eric Blum at eblum@columbiatribune.com. Follow @ByEricBlum on Twitter. Follow Mizzou athletics with the Tribunes Tiger Extra newsletter. Sign up at columbiatribune.com/tigerextra for stories, galleries and podcasts in your inbox every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.