NEW YORK – St. John’s senior Rachel Daly was named the BIG EAST Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Presented by Sunkist, the league announced on Friday. Daly, a member of the Red Storm soccer program, will be awarded a $4,000 scholarship, which may be applied to graduate or professional studies. Daly is St. John’s first BIG EAST Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The selection was made by the Conference’s Academic Affairs Committee.
The Conference also announced the female winners of the 2015-16 BIG EAST Institutional Scholar-Athlete Scholarships, presented by Sunkist. Each institutional winner receives $2,000 toward graduate studies. The BIG EAST Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year also went to a St. John’s student-athlete as baseball’s Thomas Hackimer earned the recognition.
Daly became the first St. John’s NSCAA First Team All-American this fall following Second Team honors in 2013 when she was the nation’s leader in scoring. This season, Daly ranked third in the NCAA in scoring with 19 goals and helped the Red Storm post its best record in program history. Led by Daly, the Red Storm registered a mark of 15-4-1, including a 7-1-1 showing in conference play, and captured the team's first-ever BIG EAST regular-season title. She registered five multi-goal games, including the third hat trick of her career against Creighton on Oct. 11.
Daly collected Academic All-America honors as well, garnering First Team plaudits from the NSCAA and Second Team status from CoSIDA. For her career, Daly was a two-time NSCAA All-American, a two-time NSCAA Scholar All-American, a CoSIDA Academic All-American, a two-time BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year, a three-time First Team All-BIG EAST selection, the 2013 BIG EAST Newcomer of the Year, a three-time NSCAA First Team All-Region honoree, a two-time MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List selection and a 2015 MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalist. An exceptional student, Daly graduated this winter with a degree in sports management and a GPA of 3.50. The Chi Alpha Sigma National Honor Society member garnered Academic All-BIG EAST honors every season.
Daly’s prolific playing career will continue as she was a first round selection in January’s National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) College Draft. The Houston Dash made Daly the sixth overall selection.
Daly has also been active in the community, spending hours at the MSG Boys & Girls Club for the Garden of Dreams event with local youth, and raising money for autism and cancer awareness through charitable runs and events.
The BIG EAST Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year was announced in conjunction with the BIG EAST Male Scholar Athlete of the Year. The Conference will also announce a Men’s Basketball and Women’s Basketball Scholar Athlete of the Year leading up to their conference tournaments in March.
2015-16 BIG EAST Institutional Female Scholar-Athlete Awards
School Name, Sport(s)
Butler Sophia Maccagnone, Soccer
Creighton Melanie Jereb, Volleyball
DePaul Gena Lenti, Softball
Georgetown Emma Newins, Soccer
Marquette Meghan Niemann, Volleyball
Providence Sarah Collins, Cross Country
St. John’s Rachel Daly, Soccer
Seton Hall Emily Hansinger, Soccer
Villanova Angela Piccirillo, Outdoor Track & Field
Xavier Shane Crutchfield, Golf
BIG EAST Female Scholar-Athletes Of The Year
Year Name, School, Sport
1985 Leigh Curl, Connecticut, Basketball
1986 Joanne Keehs, Villanova, Track & Field
1987 Karen Ferreria, Providence, Volleyball
1988 Noreen Coughlin, Pittsburgh, Volleyball
1989 Vicki Huber, Villanova, Track & Field
1990 Siobhan Gallagher, Providence, Track & Field
1991 Cami White, Providence, Field Hockey
1992 Kelly Larkin, Syracuse, Field Hockey
1993 Nnenna Lynch, Villanova, Track & Field
1994 Allison Williams, Pittsburgh, Track & Field
1995 Becky Spies, Villanova, Cross Country/Track & Field
1996 Najuma Fletcher, Pittsburgh, Track & Field
1997 Jen Renola, Notre Dame, Soccer
1998 Charity Wachera, West Virginia, Track & Field
1999 Gladys Ganiel, Providence, Cross Country/Track & Field
2000 Jenny Streiffer, Notre Dame, Soccer
2001 Ruth Riley, Notre Dame, Basketball
2002 Jarrah Myers, Notre Dame, Softball
2003 Erin McIntyre, Rutgers, Swimming & Diving
2004 Vanessa Pruzinsky, Notre Dame, Soccer
2005 Nicole Lee, Georgetown, Cross Country/Track & Field
2006 Kelly Harrigan, Rutgers, Swimming & Diving
2007 Jessica Javelet, Louisville, Field Hockey
2008 Jillian Drouin, Syracuse, Track & Field
2009 Jennifer Kleinhans, Connecticut, Field Hockey
2010 Meagan Dooley, Pittsburgh, Volleyball
2011 Maya Moore, Connecticut, Basketball
2012 Natalie Kulla, Marquette, Soccer
2013 Sam Roecker, Providence, Cross Country/Track & Field
2014 Emily Sisson, Providence, Cross Country/Track & Field
2015 Shelbey Manthorpe, Seton Hall, Volleyball
2016 Rachel Daly, St. John’s, Soccer