BIG EAST Announces Winners of 2018-19 Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Awards
NEW YORK – The BIG EAST Conference has announced the winners of the 2018-19 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, five juniors and one graduate student. Eight of the winners competed in the NCAAs in their respective sports. Fourteen were or have been BIG EAST Players of the Year or BIG EAST Championship winners.
DePaul led the way with six honorees with Seton Hall close behind with four. Marquette and Xavier had three award winners each, while Butler, Creighton, Georgetown, Providence, St. John’s and Villanova each had one. Kyle Decker of DePaul and John Wagner of Marquette were repeat honorees from 2017-18. Three student-athletes, Decker, Butler’s Allie Vogeler and Xavier’s Mikayla Fitzpatrick finished their undergraduate career with better than a 3.9 cumulative GPA.
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 2018-19 Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award winners please visit each school’s respective site.
Baseball: Conor Grammes, Xavier, Jr., Finance
- Cumulative GPA of 3.722
- 2019 Unanimous All-BIG EAST First Team honoree; 2019 Preseason BIG EAST Co-Player of the Year; 2017 BIG EAST Tournament MOP; 2017 BIG EAST Baseball Tournament Champion; Two-time BIG EAST Championship All-Tournament Team (2017, 2019); 2018 Google Cloud Academic All-District® First Team; Three-time BIG EAST All-Academic Team honoree; Selected in the fifth round of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft
Men’s Basketball: Michael Nzei, Seton Hall, Grad Student, MBA - Finance
- Cumulative GPA of 3.64; undergraduate major of economics
- 2019 BIG EAST Men’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year; 2016 BIG EAST Tournament Champion; only the third player in Seton Hall history to play in the NCAA Tournament four straight years; member of Chi Alpha Sigma National Student-Athlete Honor Society; 2017-18 National Basketball Coaches Association Honors Court; five-time BIG EAST All-Academic Team honoree; served as the men’s basketball SAAC representative for four consecutive years; Senior CLASS Award Candidate
Women’s Basketball: Martè Grays, DePaul, Sr., Sociology
- Cumulative GPA of 3.363; Concentration in Law, Crime and Criminology
- Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) All-American honorable mention; Two-time DI-AAA ADA Scholar-Athlete Team: 2018, 2019; NCAA Tournament Participant 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019; Three-time BIG EAST Tournament Champion; Two-time All-BIG EAST First Team (2018, 2019); Two-time All-BIG EAST Tournament Team (2018, 2019); 2015 All-BIG EAST Freshman Team; 1,000-point career scorer; four-time BIG EAST All-Academic Team honoree
Men’s Cross Country: Noah Deck, DePaul, Sr., Secondary Education Mathematics
- Cumulative GPA of 3.202; Recipient of multiple university-based academic scholarships included the Donald A. and Margaret Millette Scholarship Award (2018), Elise Luhan Scholarship (2017-19); St. Vincent DePaul Scholarship (2015-19)
- Lead runner for DePaul in the 2018 BIG EAST Championship; represented DePaul at the NCAA Division I Midwest Regional in back-to-back years (2017, 2018); Three-time BIG EAST All-Academic Team honoree
Women’s Cross Country: Caroline Kurdej, DePaul, Sr., Business Administration and English
- Cumulative GPA of 3.829; Minor in Professional Writing
- Four-time BIG EAST All-Academic Team honoree; DePaul Dean’s list every quarter; Ronald McNair Scholar; Top finisher for DePaul in six races in 2018
Men’s Indoor Track & Field: Kyle Decker, DePaul, Sr., Biological Sciences*
- Cumulative GPA of 3.99; Minoring in Chemistry with a concentration in Medicine and Health
- 2019 BIG EAST Michael Tranghese Postgraduate Leadership Award winner (unanimous selection); Four-time Indoor BIG EAST Individual Champion in the 60-meter hurdles; helped DePaul win the 2017 Indoor BIG EAST Championship, Four-time All-BIG EAST Indoor Track & Field honoree; Team Captain; Four-time BIG EAST All-Academic Team member; served as President of the DePaul University Captains’ Council and the Diversity and Inclusion Officer for BIG EAST SAAC; Two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American Third Team (2017, 2018)
Women’s Indoor Track & Field: Millie Paladino, Providence, Sr., Applied Physics
- Cumulative GPA of 3.34
- Three-time U.S. Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) First Team All-America in the Indoor Mile; 2019 Northeast Region Female Athlete of the Year; Two-time Indoor Track & Field BIG EAST Champion in the 3,000-meter run and 2017 Mile Champion; Two-time Providence College Female Athlete of the Year; two-time USTFCCCA All-Academic team honoree
Men’s Outdoor Track & Field: Jack Judge, Villanova, Sr., Political Science
- Cumulative GPA of 3.85; Philosophy minor; Magna cum Laude graduate
- Two-time BIG EAST Javelin Champion (2019, 2018); Qualified for the 2019 NCAA East Regional in the Javelin; Four-time All-BIG EAST Outdoor Track & Field and BIG EAST All-Academic Team honoree; USTFCCCA All-Academic Team
Women’s Outdoor Track & Field: Allie Vogeler, Butler, Sr., Pharmacy
- Cumulative GPA of 3.94
- Three-time Outdoor Track & Field BIG EAST Champion in the 400-meter hurdles (2017-19); Two-time NCAA East Regional Qualifier (2018, 2019); Four-time All-BIG EAST honors in the 400-meter hurdles; holds Butler University record in five outdoor events (10 events total); 2019 CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree; Four-time BIG EAST All-Academic Team award
Field Hockey: Helena Masiello, Georgetown, Sr., Classics
- Cumulative GPA of 3.652 with a minor in government
- Captain; Four-time Zag Field Hockey/NFHCA Division I National Academic team honoree; Four-time BIG EAST All-Academic Team member; member of Georgetown Field Hockey Leadership Council
Men’s Golf: Christopher Yeom, Seton Hall, Sr., Finance and IT Management
- Cumulative GPA of 3.534
- Four-time member of the BIG EAST All-Academic Team; 2018 BIG EAST Championship individual co-runner-up; member of the Chi Alpha Sigma National Student-Athlete Honor Society; member of the Golf Coaches Association All-Academic Team; owns the second-lowest career stroke average in Seton Hall history
Women’s Golf: Mikayla Fitzpatrick, Xavier, Sr., Business Analytics
- Cumulative GPA of 3.936; completed undergraduate coursework in three years and graduated Summa Cum Laude
- 2019 BIG EAST Women’s Golf Player of the Year; 2019 BIG EAST Women’s Golf Championship Individual winner; Xavier’s 2019 BIG EAST Institutional Scholar-Athlete of the Year; finished the season ranked No. 1 in the BIG EAST player standings; Three-time All-BIG EAST honoree; 2017 BIG EAST Freshman of the Year; First Xavier golfer to qualify for the NCAA Golf Championship; qualified for the U.S. Golf Association Women’s Amateur Four-Ball in 2016 and 2017; member of the Beta Gamma Sigma Business Honor Society; Three-time BIG EAST All-Academic team honoree; three-time Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) All-America Scholar-Athlete
Men’s Lacrosse: John Wagner, Marquette, Sr., Business Finance and Private Equity Banking*
- Cumulative GPA of 3.887; Chi Alpha Sigma Honors Society; Four-time BIG EAST All-Academic Team; Athletic Director’s Honor Roll; Major GPA of 4.00; Magna Cum Laude
- 2019 All-BIG EAST Second Team and 2018 All-BIG EAST First Team honors; 2018 US Lacrosse National Player of the Week, USILA Team of the Week; member of 2017 BIG EAST Championship Team; Team Captain; Senior CLASS Award Candidate
Women’s Lacrosse: Julianna Horning, Marquette, Jr., Biomechanical Engineering
- Cumulative GPA of 3.563
- Three-time BIG EAST All-Academic Team honoree; Opus College of Engineering Scholar; Three-time BIG EAST All-Academic Team honoree; 2018 BIG EAST Championship All-Tournament team selection; set single-game BIG EAST tournament record in saves (17); Marquette career wins leader
Men’s Soccer: Luka Prpa, Marquette, Jr., Biomedical Sciences
- Cumulative GPA of 3.84; Chi Alpha Sigma Honors Society
- Two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American (2017, 2018), National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-Great Lakes Region Third Team; 2018 All-BIG EAST First Team; 2017 All-BIG EAST Second Team; 2016 BIG EAST Freshman of the Year; 2016 BIG EAST All-Freshman Team; Three-time BIG EAST All-Academic honoree
Women’s Soccer: Franny Cerny, DePaul, Sr., Health Sciences
- Cumulative GPA of 3.588
- Two-time All-BIG EAST First Team honoree (2018, 2017); 2016 All-BIG EAST Second Team; 2015 BIG EAST Freshman of the Year; 2015 BIG EAST All-Freshman Team; 2015 All-BIG EAST Tournament Team; 2018 Senior CLASS Award candidate; 2018 United Soccer Coaches All-East Second Team; 2017 United Soccer Coaches All-Midwest Second Team; 2016 NSCAA All-Northeast Region Third Team; Four-time BIG EAST All-Academic Team member; team captain and BIG EAST SAAC representative
Softball: Morgan Greenwood, DePaul, Sr., Health Sciences
- Cumulative GPA of 3.76; Concentration in Bioscience and minors in Biological Science and General Psychology; BIG EAST Institutional Scholar-Athlete in 2019
- 2018 CoSIDA Academic All-American Third Team; Three-time EASTON/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-America Scholar-Athlete; Three-time Easton/NFCA Academic Team; Four-time BIG EAST All-Academic Team honoree; Served as BIG EAST SAAC Representative (2017-19); Three-time BIG EAST Tournament Champion; All-BIG EAST First Team in 2018, All-BIG EAST Tournament Team honoree in 2019; part of the 2017 BIG EAST Regular Season Championship squad; Two-year team captain; Three-time NCAA Tournament participant; 2018 NFCA All-Region Third Team
Men’s Swimming and Diving: Lior Grubert, Seton Hall, Sr., Business Administration
- Cumulative GPA of 3.876; Concentration in Finance and Information Technology; Chi Alpha Sigma Honor Society member
- Four-time BIG EAST All-Academic Team honoree; Two-time BIG EAST Swimming & Diving Championship Team (2018, 2017); Six-time BIG EAST Individual/Relay Champion; Nine-time All-BIG EAST Swimming & Diving Honors (individual and relay)
Women’s Swimming and Diving: Clara Capone, Seton Hall, Jr., Graphic Design and Advertising
- Cumulative GPA of 3.703; Chi Alpha Sigma Honor Society member
- Three-time All-BIG EAST honoree; holds three Seton Hall individual swimming records and four relay records; 2018 800 Freestyle relay BIG EAST runner-up
Men’s Tennis: Andrei Crapcenco, St. John’s, Sr., Finance
- Cumulative GPA of 3.75; Chi Alpha Sigma Honor Society member; Inducted into Theta Chapter Omicron Delta Epsilon International Honor Society for Economics in 2019
- 2019 BIG EAST Men’s Tennis Player of the Year; All-BIG EAST First Team selection (2019); Four-time BIG EAST All-Academic Team honoree; part of the 2019 BIG EAST Championship squad; Named Most Outstanding Male Student-Athlete at St. John’s, Frank C. Haggerty Memorial Award, in 2019; two-time team MVP
Women’s Tennis: Sophia Abelson, Xavier, Sr., Entrepreneurial Studies
- Cumulative GPA of 3.829
- 2019 First Team All-BIG EAST accolades; 2016 BIG EAST Champion; Xavier’s BIG EAST SAAC representative; Four-time BIG EAST All-Academic Team honoree; Four-time International Tennis Association (ITA) Scholar-Athlete
Volleyball: Taryn Kloth, Creighton, Sr., Business Administration, Finance Services
- Cumulative GPA of 3.87
- 2019 NCAA Woman of the Year BIG EAST Nominee; 2019 BIG EAST Michael Tranghese Postgraduate Leadership Award and 2018-19 BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award winner; 2018-19 Carl M. Reinert, S.J. Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year for Creighton; two-time All-BIG EAST First Team honoree, All-BIG EAST Second Team honors in 2017; 2017 BIG EAST Tournament MVP; part of four consecutive BIG EAST tournament and regular season champion teams; 2018 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Honorable Mention All-American; 2018 CoSIDA Academic All-American Third Team; three-time BIG EAST All-Academic team honoree; Senior CLASS Award finalist
* 2017-18 Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award winner
2018-19 BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award Winners
| Sport |
Student-Athlete |
Institution |
Class |
Major |
GPA |
| Baseball |
Conor Grammes |
Xavier |
Jr. |
Finance |
3.722 |
| Men’s Basketball |
Michael Nzei |
Seton Hall |
Grad |
Finance (MBA) |
3.64 |
| Women’s Basketball |
Martè Grays |
DePaul |
Sr. |
Sociology |
3.363 |
| Men’s Cross Country |
Noah Deck |
DePaul |
Sr. |
Secondary Education, Mathematics |
3.202 |
| Women’s Cross Country |
Caroline Kurdej |
DePaul |
Sr. |
Business Administration and English |
3.829 |
| Men’s Indoor Track & Field |
Kyle Decker |
DePaul |
Jr. |
Biological Sciences |
3.99 |
| Women’s Indoor Track & Field |
Millie Paladino |
Providence |
Sr. |
Applied Physics |
3.34 |
| Men’s Outdoor Track & Field |
Jack Judge |
Villanova |
Sr. |
Political Science |
3.85 |
| Women’s Outdoor Track & Field |
Allie Vogeler |
Butler |
Sr. |
Pharmacy |
3.94 |
| Field Hockey |
Helena Masiello |
Georgetown |
Sr. |
Classics |
3.652 |
| Men’s Golf |
Christopher Yeom |
Seton Hall |
Sr. |
Finance and IT Management |
3.534 |
| Women’s Golf |
Mikayla Fitzpatrick |
Xavier |
Sr. |
Business Analytics |
3.936 |
| Men’s Lacrosse |
John Wagner |
Marquette |
Sr. |
Business Finance and Private Equity Banking |
3.887 |
| Women’s Lacrosse |
Julianna Horning |
Marquette |
Jr. |
Biomechanical Engineering |
3.563 |
| Men’s Soccer |
Luka Prpa |
Marquette |
Jr. |
Biomedical Sciences |
3.84 |
| Women’s Soccer |
Franny Cerny |
DePaul |
Sr. |
Health Sciences |
3.588 |
| Softball |
Morgan Greenwood |
DePaul |
Sr. |
Health Sciences |
3.76 |
| Men’s Swimming & Diving |
Lior Grubert |
Seton Hall |
Sr. |
Business Administration |
3.876 |
| Women’s Swimming & Diving |
Clara Capone |
Seton Hall |
Jr. |
Graphic Design and Advertising |
3.703 |
| Men’s Tennis |
Andrei Crapcenco |
St. John’s |
Sr. |
Finance |
3.75 |
| Women’s Tennis |
Sophia Abelson |
Xavier |
Sr. |
Entrepreneurial Studies |
3.829 |
| Volleyball |
Taryn Kloth |
Creighton |
Sr. |
Business Administration, Finance Services |
3.87 |