NEW YORK – The BIG EAST Conference has announced the winners of the 2020-21 BIG EAST Sport Excellence Awards, which recognize academic and athletic achievement as well as community service.
The 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.
Of the list of 22 honorees, seven of the winners competed in the NCAAs in their respective sports. Six were 2020-21 BIG EAST Players of the Year or BIG EAST Championship winners.
DePaul and Villanova led the way with five honorees each. Five student-athlete winners, DePaul’s Rutendo Chimbaru and Aspasia Avgeri, Providence’s Marcelo Rocha, Seton Hall’s Lizzie Win and Villanova’s Jadyn Anczarski boasted an undergraduate GPA better than a 3.9. Four of the winners were double majors.
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 2020-21 Sport Excellence Award winners please visit each school’s respective site.
2020-21 BIG EAST Sport Excellence Award Winners:
| Sport |
Student-Athlete |
Institution |
Class |
Major |
GPA $ |
| Baseball |
David Festa |
Seton Hall |
Jr. |
Finance and Information Technology # |
3.565 |
| Men’s Basketball |
Collin Gillespie |
Villanova |
Sr. |
Communication |
3.195 |
| Women’s Basketball |
Lexi Held |
DePaul |
Jr. |
Marketing |
3.563 |
| Men’s Cross Country |
Marcelo Rocha |
Providence |
Sr. |
Environmental Biology |
3.98 |
| Women’s Cross Country |
Lydia Olivere |
Villanova |
Jr. |
Psychology |
3.58 |
| Men’s Indoor Track & Field |
Ashton Colaire |
DePaul |
Sr. |
Graphic Design |
3.25 |
| Women’s Indoor Track & Field |
Rutendo Chimbaru |
DePaul |
Sr. |
Health Sciences |
3.97 |
| Men’s Outdoor Track & Field |
Jadyn Anczarski |
Villanova |
Grad. |
Science Physics |
3.91 |
| Women’s Outdoor Track & Field |
Abby Wheeler |
Providence |
Grad. |
Physics and Mathematics # |
3.26 |
| Field Hockey |
Madison Babineau |
Providence |
Sr. |
Elementary/Special Education |
3.63 |
| Men’s Golf |
Hunter Eichhorn |
Marquette |
RS-Jr. |
Corporate Communication |
3.21 |
| Women’s Golf |
Lizzie Win |
Seton Hall |
Grad. |
Marketing and Information Technology # |
3.900 |
| Men’s Lacrosse |
Jake Carraway |
Georgetown |
Grad. |
Finance |
3.188 |
| Women’s Lacrosse |
Kaitlyn Comerford |
Villanova |
Grad. |
Management |
3.43 |
| Men’s Soccer |
Lukas Sunesson |
Marquette |
RS-Jr. |
Operations & Supply Chain Management & International Business # |
3.809 |
| Women’s Soccer |
Jenna Menta |
Georgetown |
Sr. |
International Politics |
3.493 |
| Softball |
Ryan Henry |
Villanova |
Jr. |
Communication |
3.53 |
| Men’s Swimming & Diving |
Liam Cosgrove |
Seton Hall |
Sr. |
Art Design and Interactive Media |
3.737 |
| Women’s Swimming & Diving |
Riley Fujioka |
Georgetown |
Sr. |
Sociology |
3.819 |
| Men’s Tennis |
Vito Tonejc |
DePaul |
Jr. |
Sports Communication |
3.415 |
| Women’s Tennis |
Aspasia Avgeri |
DePaul |
Grad. |
Finance |
3.953 |
| Volleyball |
Rachele Rastelli |
St. John’s |
Jr. |
Public Relations |
3.8 |
Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the BIG EAST Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track & Field Championships were not held this season. Additionally, Georgetown did not compete in certain Olympic sport seasons. It was important to the BIG EAST Academic Awards Committee to continue to acknowledge the academic accomplishments of these student-athletes.
# indicates double major
$ undergraduate GPA indicated only