BIG EAST Announces Winners of 2016-17 Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Awards
NEW YORK – The BIG EAST Conference has announced the winners of the 2016-17 BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Awards, which recognize academic and athletic achievement as well as community service.
The Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Awards are given to one student-athlete in each BIG EAST-sponsored sport based on academic credentials, athletic accolades or performances and volunteer service to the community. Student-athletes who have attained junior academic standing and a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.00 are eligible. The winners are chosen by the BIG EAST Faculty Athletics Representative Council.
The list of 22 honorees includes 16 seniors, four juniors and two graduate students. Nine of the winners competed in the NCAAs in their respective sports this past year. Fourteen were or have been BIG EAST Players of the Year or Individual BIG EAST Championship winners. All 10 full-time BIG EAST members were represented, with two affiliate members. Seton Hall had the most honorees with five, followed by Villanova with four and Butler with three. DePaul had a pair of winners, and Creighton, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, St. John’s, Xavier and affiliates Temple and Liberty had one. Patrick Tiernan of Villanova and Erik Peterson of Butler were repeat honorees.
While the format of the awards allows for only one declared winner in each sport category, the selection of the recipients proves each year to be a challenge for the FAR Council, as candidate nominees represent exceptional student-athletes who excel in academics, service, and athletics, and are outstanding representatives of their schools and the Conference.
For more information on the 2016-17 Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award winners please visit each school’s respective site.
Baseball: Todd Czinege, Villanova, Sr., Finance
- Cumulative GPA of 3.35; Dean’s List honoree; Villanova Athletic Director’s Honor Roll
- 2017 Senior CLASS Award First Team; Two-year team captain; BIG EAST and Big 5 Player of the Week in 2017
Men’s Basketball: Billy Garrett, Jr., DePaul, Sr., Business, Finance concentration
- Cumulative GPA of 3.21; 2017 BIG EAST Men’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Sportsmanship Award honoree
- 2017 Allstate/NABC Good Works Team; 2017 NACDA I-AAA Scholar-Athlete Team
Women’s Basketball: Jessica January, DePaul, Sr., Public Relations & Advertising, Communication & Media
- Cumulative GPA of 3.97; 2017 Summa Cum Laude graduate
- 2017 CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team; WBCA All-America Honorable Mention; 2017 WNBA Draft selection; Senior CLASS Award Finalist
Men’s Cross Country: Patrick Tiernan, Villanova, Sr., Business, Mathematics *
- Cumulative GPA of 3.20;
- Only four-time individual winner of the BIG EAST Cross Country Championship; 2016 NCAA Cross Country Individual Champion; 2016 USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Year; Three-time Mid-Atlantic Regional Individual Champion and Regional Athlete of the Year; Four-time Cross Country All-American
Women’s Cross Country: Angel Piccirillo, Villanova, Grad Student, Public Administration
- Cumulative GPA of 3.67
- 2016 NCAA Cross Country All-American; 2016 BIG EAST Cross Country Individual Champion; Nine time Penn Relays Championship of America winner, the most wins for any female collegiate; seven time BIG EAST champion
Men’s Indoor Track & Field: Erik Peterson, Butler, Grad Student, MPA (Master’s of Professional Accounting)**
- Undergraduate GPA of 3.186 in accounting and management information systems; Graduate GPA of 3.428
- 2017 BIG EAST Champion in 3,000-meter and 5,000-meter events; Two-time 2017 NCAA Indoor All-American
Women’s Indoor Track & Field: Olivia Pratt, Butler, Sr., Political Science & Gender, Women and Sexuality
- Cumulative GPA of 3.748; Member of Butler Athletic Director’s Honor Roll from 2013-17
- 2017 BIG EAST Champion in the 5,000-meter event; All-BIG EAST in the 3,000-meters; 2017 NCAA Second Team All-American
Men’s Outdoor Track & Field: Hugh Armstrong, Providence, Sr., Mathematics
- Cumulative GPA of 3.81; 207 Chi Alpha Sigma National Honor Society and Pi Mu Epsilon National Mathematics Honor Society
- 2017 Providence College Male Athlete of the Year (Individual Sport); Qualified for the 2017 Outdoor NCAA Championship in 10,000-meter run; Team Captain
Women’s Outdoor Track & Field: Piper Donaghu; Georgetown, Jr., Psychology
- Cumulative GPA of 3.86
- Member of the 2017 BIG EAST Outdoor 4x800-meter championship relay team, her third BIG EAST title
Field Hockey: Serena Barr, Liberty, Sr., Public Health
- Cumulative GPA of 4.0
- 2016-17 CoSIDA Academic All-America Second Team; 2016 NFHCA Division I National Scholar-Athlete; Four-time NFHCA Scholar of Distinction; 2016 NFHCA Division I All-America Second Team; 2016 NFHCA All-South Region First Team, BIG EAST First Team; VaSID All-State First Team; 2016 BIG EAST Co-Defensive Player of the Year; 2016 BIG EAST All-Tournament Team; Big South Conference George A. Christenberry Award for Academic Excellence
Men’s Golf: Lloyd Jefferson Go, Seton Hall, Sr., Business Accounting and Finance
- Cumulative GPA of 3.55; Member of Chi Alpha Sigma National Honor Society
- Two-time BIG EAST Men’s Golfer of the Year (2016, 2017); 2017 BIG EAST Championship Runner up, 2016 BIG EAST Individual Champion; Selected as an individual to the NCAA Golf Championship in 2016 and 2017
Women’s Golf: Cassie Pantelas, Seton Hall, Jr., Communication Studies
- Cumulative GPA of 3.66; part of Seton Hall’s Honors Program
- 2016 Women’s Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar; 2016 and 2017 BIG EAST All-Tournament Team and All-BIG EAST Second Team; Competed in 2015 and 2016 NCAA Championship
Men’s Lacrosse: Andy DeMichiei, Marquette, Sr., Accounting and Finance Major
- Cumulative GPA of 3.57; Beta Gamma Sigma Business Fraternity; College of Business Administration Dean’s List; Recipient of Marquette University Ignatius Academic Scholarship and Kohler Award Scholarship
- 2017 Senior CLASS Award nominee; 2017 All-BIG EAST Second Team; Team captain
Women’s Lacrosse: Brenda McDermott, Temple, Sr., Criminal Justice
- Cumulative GPA of 3.75; 2017 Cum Laude graduate
- 2017 IWLCA All-Region Second Team; 2017 All-BIG EAST First Team; Temple President’s Honor Roll
Men’s Soccer: David Goldsmith, Butler, Sr., Middle/Secondary Education, Human Movement and Health Science, Recreation and Sports Studies
- Cumulative GPA of 3.88; member of Butler University Honors Program
- 2017 BIG EAST Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year; 2016 MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalist; 2016 NSCAA All-America Second Team; NSCAA All-Region First Team; 2016 BIG EAST Co-Offensive Player of the Year; 2016 All-BIG EAST First Team; 2016 BIG EAST Tournament Most Outstanding Offensive Player
Women’s Soccer: Diana Poulin, St. John’s, Sr., Finance
- Cumulative GPA of 3.51; 2017 Chi Alpha Sigma National Honor Society
- 2016 NSCAA Scholar All-America Third Team; Three-time BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year, All-BIG EAST First Team selection
Softball: Alexis Walkden; Seton Hall, Jr., Mathematics and Secondary Education
- Cumulative GPA of 3.82; Chi Alpha Sigma National Honor Society; Pi Mu Epsilon National Mathematics Honor Society; Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society in Education
- 2017 CoSIDA Academic All-District; BIG EAST Player of the Year; All-BIG EAST First Team
Men’s Swimming and Diving: Noah Yanchulis, Seton Hall, Jr., Business Administration & IT Management and Marketing
- Cumulative GPA of 3.389
- 200 Freestyle and 500 Freestyle NCAA “B” cut qualifier; Two-time BIG EAST Championship Most Outstanding Swimmer; Seven-time BIG EAST Champion
Women’s Swimming and Diving: Emily Mayo, Villanova, Sr., Accountancy
- Cumulative GPA of 3.62; two-time Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Team; CSCAA Scholar All-America Honor Roll
- Four-time BIG EAST Team Champion; Six-time BIG EAST individual champion; Three-time BIG EAST relay champion; Six Time NCAA “B” cut qualifier
Men’s Tennis: Harrison Lang, Creighton, Sr., Neuroscience
- Cumulative GPA of 4.0; 2016-17 Creighton Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year
- Four-time ITA Scholar-Athlete; 2017 CoSIDA Academic All-America Second Team; Two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team; 2017 Michael Tranghese Postgraduate Leadership Award Winner
Women’s Tennis: Cristina Di Lorenzo, Xavier, Sr., Finance
- Cumulative GPA of 3.957 with a minor in International Business
- Recipient of Xavier’s 2017 Medal of Honor and Excellence in Finance Award; Deans Award every semester; Two-time All-BIG EAST Team
Volleyball: Tessa Fournier, Seton Hall, Sr., Communications and Public Relations
- Cumulative GPA of 3.302
- 2016 Senior CLASS Award Nominee; AVCA All-Region; Three-time BIG EAST Libero of the Year; Three-time All-BIG EAST First Team selection
* 2015-16 Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award winner
** 2015-16 Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award winner in Outdoor Track & Field