NEW YORK – Villanova University has been named the winner of the BIG EAST Presidents’ Award for a second straight year. The honor, which was established by BIG EAST Presidents in 2015, goes annually to the BIG EAST institution that has excelled at the highest level in academics, athletics and citizenship. Villanova is being recognized for its accomplishments for the 2015-16 academic year.
A selection committee of athletic and academic administrators from each BIG EAST institution chose Villanova for the award. Each institution provides the selection committee with a nomination highlighting its accomplishments in all three areas.
“The BIG EAST Presidents’ Award was created to recognize the full scope of student-athlete achievement, and we offer our congratulations to the Villanova Wildcats for their exceptional performance this past year in the classroom, in competition and in the community,” said BIG EAST Commissioner Val Ackerman. “We commend Father Peter Donohue, Mark Jackson, and Villanova’s coaches, administrators and faculty for their commitment to a complete collegiate experience and lifetime success for the extraordinary young people who represent Villanova on surfaces of play.”
“The 2015-2016 academic year was an incredible one for Villanova Athletics, as our teams and student-athletes experienced tremendous success both in and out of the classroom,” said Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA, PhD, Villanova University President. “Receiving the BIG EAST Presidents' Award for the second year in a row is a testament to the strong emphasis that Villanova places on academics and community service while competing at the highest levels of collegiate athletics. I commend the BIG EAST Conference for recognizing the accomplishments of our student-athletes beyond the field of competition and I congratulate Villanova's student-athletes, coaches, administrators and athletics staff who share in this honor."
Academics – Villanova student-athletes achieved an overall Grade Point Average of 3.25 for the 2015-16 academic year, with133 student-athletes in the fall and 153 in the spring making the Dean’s List. Villanova’s Graduation Success Rate (GSR) and Academic Progress Rate (APR), the two measures of academic performance tracked by the NCAA, rank among the top scores in the nation. Ten Villanova teams earned APR public recognition, and the school’s single year APR score was in the 100th percentile nationally. Villanova’s student-athletes have compiled an overall GPA of 3.0 or better for 26 straight semesters. All 24 sports had a 3.0 GPA or higher during the 2016 spring semester.
Villanova’s BIG EAST teams receiving APR recognition in 2015-16 were: men’s basketball, men’s cross country, golf, men’s soccer, men’s swimming and diving, men’s tennis, women’s swimming and diving, women’s tennis, women’s indoor track & field and volleyball.
Individually, cross country and track & field standout Patrick Tiernan won the BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete Excellence Award for Cross Country. Ryan Arcidiacono of the national championship men’s basketball team won the BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete Excellence Award for Men’s Basketball and was also a first team Senior CLASS All-American. Track & field/cross country student-athlete Thomas Trainer was the recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship, and teammate Rob Denault was named a CoSIDA Academic All-American.
Athletic Achievement – The Wildcats’ men’s basketball team won the second NCAA national championship in school history when it defeated North Carolina 77-74 in the NCAA title game in Houston, Texas, this past April. The team also won its third straight BIG EAST regular-season crown with a 16-2 conference record.
The women’s volleyball team posted 25 victories – their highest win total since 1993 – and earned an NCAA Tournament berth, just their second appearance in school history. Emma Pettit and Allie Loitz earned All-BIG EAST First Team honors.
The legendary Wildcats’ women’s cross country team earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Championship. Bella Burda and Siofra Cleirgh Buttner were named All-BIG EAST.
In men’s cross country, Tiernan became the first runner to win three consecutive BIG EAST cross country championships, finishing second at the NCAA Championship.
The women’s swimming and diving team won its third straight BIG EAST title, winning 16 of 18 events. Darby Goodwin was selected as the Most Outstanding Swimmer of the Championship meet.
The men’s indoor track & field squad won the BIG EAST championship for the third time in a row, winning seven events and garnering 28 All-BIG EAST honors.
The women’s basketball team recorded its fourth straight 20-win season. Adriana Hahn was named BIG EAST Sixth Woman of the Year, and Katherine Coyer won the BIG EAST Sportsmanship Award.
The women’s softball team compiled a 32-18 mark. Kate Poppe was voted BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year, and Lauren Hanna was chosen BIG EAST Freshman of the Year.
The Wildcats’ outdoor track & field program produced three all-Americans: Tiernan, Jordy Williamsz and Ben Malone. Freshman Sterling Pierce was named Most Outstanding Track Performer at the BIG EAST Championship.
Citizenship – Villanova student-athletes contributed a total of 3,123 hours of community service in 2015-16, the highest number of recorded hours in school history.
The university sponsors an annual St. Thomas of Villanova Celebration, which includes a full day of service. More than 400 student-athletes, coaches and athletics staff participated in this year’s event at 135 service venues throughout the Villanova area and greater Philadelphia. The sites included local parishes, elementary schools, non-profit organizations, homes for adults with disabilities and parks.
Villanova student-athletes and all 24 of its varsity teams are also active volunteers in an annual Special Olympics Fall Festival for the state of Pennsylvania, which is the largest student-run festival in the world.
In November, Villanova student-athletes participated in the annual Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week at Villanova. Student-athletes donated and packed meals for those living in poverty.
Villanova also hosts a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service on MLK Day in January by sending student-athletes out into the local community. It also hosts Philadelphia area youth on campus in support of First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” initiative, which provides students with information about healthy living.
At the BIG EAST Tournament in New York, three members of the men’s basketball team, Patrick Farrell, Henry Lowe and Kevin Rafferty, joined other student-athletes from around the conference at the Boys and Girls Club in East Harlem in support of the BIG EAST Serves youth initiative.
When the men’s basketball team visited the White House on May 31, head coach Jay Wright, along with team members Ryan Arcidiacono and Daniel Ochefu, were interviewed at the White House’s request to talk about the impact a college education had made on each of them.
Other service events included frequent trips to The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to spend time with patients.
A new service partnership for 2015-16 included trips to nearby Radnor Township Middle School on Friday mornings when student-athletes were able to provide leadership and encouragement to the students there.
Villanova also put together a week-long Student-Athlete Habitat Trip in the spring and sent dozens of student-athletes to Northern Virginia to assist with building a house.