Barrett, a finalist for The Bowerman, was named the 2012 Indoor Field Scholar Athlete of the Year, the second-straight year she has received the award. Furthermore, Barrett and Rivera-Morales were both named USTFCCCA All-Academic honorees.

Scholar Athlete of the Year Awards are determined from among those who earned All-Academic status and placed highest in individual events at the most recent NCAA Championships. Those who earn multiple individual championship titles rank higher in the tie-breaking process, and cumulative GPA is weighed as the final tiebreaker to establish a winner. Separate awards are given to track athletes and field athletes for the indoor and outdoor seasons, resulting in four categories.

Barrett, a theatre arts major with a 3.51 cumulative GPA, swept NCAA high jump titles for the second-straight season in 2012. She became the first woman in DI history to earn dual-season titles in back-to-back years, a combination of four consecutive national titles between the seasons. Barrett earned a spot on Team USA for the London Olympic Games.

She took second place at the U.S. Olympic Trials in the women's high jump competition with a personal-best clearance of 6-7 (2.01m). Since the mark did not take place during the collegiate season, it is not the collegiate record. However, Barrett is the lone collegian to ever clear more than 6-6, in-season or postseason. That mark was also a school record and a meet record. Additionally, Barrett was named a first-team Capital One Academic All-American and earned Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention distinction.

Rivera-Morales, an industrial engineering student, was a first-team NCAA Indoor All-American and a second-team NCAA Outdoor All-American for the 2012 season. He also earned a runner-up finish at the Pac-12 Championships. He was named a third-team Capital One Academic All-American and was named to the Pac-12 All-Academic second-team.