NEW YORK (Aug. 14, 2025) – Butler women’s soccer goalkeeper Anna Pierce and Seton Hall swimming and diving standout Sean Vizzard have been chosen as the winners of the 2024-25 BIG EAST Michael Tranghese Postgraduate Leadership Award, as selected by the BIG EAST Conference Academic Affairs Committee.
 
The awards are given to one male and one female student-athlete from a BIG EAST-sponsored sport who have been admitted to a degree-granting or professional program for the following academic year and who have demonstrated leadership through excellence in academic credentials, athletic performance and depth of commitment to service within the institution or the community.
 
Pierce and Vizzard will each receive a $5,000 scholarship, which may be applied to postgraduate study. The award is named for Michael Tranghese, the BIG EAST’s first full-time employee who served as commissioner of the conference from 1990 to 2009 and embodied leadership and dedication from the league’s inception.
 
Pierce is the first Butler student athlete to receive this honor. She is pursuing a PhD in Clinical Psychology at West Virginia University in the fall. Vizzard is the seventh Seton Hall student-athlete to earn the award. He has applied for Spring 2026 enrollment to the Cooper Medical School at Rowan University.
 
Pierce, from Farmington Hills, Mich., completed her undergraduate degrees in psychology and criminology, while also pursuing a Spanish minor, with a near perfect 3.97 cumulative grade-point average (GPA) at Butler. Off the pitch, she graduated with Summa Cum Laude accolades, as well as the highest distinction in psychology. In 2025 she earned the Kenneth Colburn Award from the Department of Sociology and Criminology. An award that recognizes the student who demonstrates outstanding work in criminology and deviance. Competitively, Pierce was a stalwart in net for the Bulldogs, capping the 2024-25 season on the All-BIG EAST Third Team. She wrapped up her collegiate career ranking among the top 10 in multiple categories at Butler, including second in goalkeeper minutes (4,458), third in shutouts (14), fifth in saves (156) and ninth in goals against average (1.18).

Vizzard, a native of Mount Laurel, N.J., completed a bachelor’s degree in biology and earned a pre-med degree, with a 3.897 undergraduate GPA. Out of the pool in 2024, he earned Second Team Scholar All-American accolades, College Sports Communicators academic All-District selection and earned Summa Cum Laude recognition at graduation. Making a difference in the community, Vizzard has participated in the department’s Thanksgiving Basket Drive the past four years, as well as the BIG EAST Food Drive while being a four-year member of SAAC. Competitively, Vizzard capped his collegiate career as a three-time BIG EAST Champion in the 1,650 freestyle (2022, 2024, 2025), most recently earning an NCAA B cut and qualifying for CSCAAs.


Below is a list of the historic winners of the Michael Tranghese Postgraduate Leadership award. In 2020, the awards were not given out due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The BIG EAST:
The BIG EAST Conference is an association of 11 nationally prominent colleges and universities that foster healthy athletic competition, community service and the pursuit of excellence in academic environments.  The BIG EAST-sponsored athletic programs of our institutions provide national-caliber participation opportunities for more than 3,800 student-athletes on over 200 men’s and women’s teams in 22 sports.  Established in 1979 and headquartered in New York City, the BIG EAST’s members are located in eight of the country’s top 36 largest media markets and include Butler University, University of Connecticut, Creighton University, DePaul University, Georgetown University, Marquette University, Providence College, St. John’s University, Seton Hall University, Villanova University and Xavier University.  For more information, visit www.bigeast.com.

 
Michael Tranghese Postgraduate Leadership Award
 
2025
Sean Vizzard, Seton Hall, Swimming and Diving
Anna Pierce, Butler, Women’s Soccer
 
2024
Joshua Paige, Georgetown, Track & Field
Josephine McCartney, Seton Hall, Swimming and Diving
 
2023
Marcelo Rocha, Providence, Cross Country and Track & Field
Abigail Wingo, Seton Hall, Softball
 
2022
Thomas Staes, Seton Hall, Swimming and Diving
Milly Routledge, Villanova, Swimming and Diving
 
2021
Liam Cosgrove, Seton Hall, Swimming and Diving
Brittany Witt, Creighton, Volleyball
 
2019
Kyle Decker, DePaul, Track & Field
Taryn Kloth, Creighton, Volleyball
 
2018
Alex Wolfred, Xavier, Swimming
Carly Alfano, Xavier, Women’s Soccer
 
2017
Harrison Lang, Creighton, Men’s Tennis
Caroline Hamilton, Villanova, Track & Field
 
2016
Zachary Mueck, Xavier, Men’s Tennis
Emily Cubbage, St. John’s, Women’s Soccer
 
2015
Shawn Heide, St. John’s, Baseball
Shelby Manthorpe, Seton Hall, Volleyball
 
2014
James Roebker, Xavier, Tennis
Chloe Sher, Seton Hall, Tennis
 
2013 
Michael Moore, Notre Dame, Tennis
Kaci Madden, Rutgers, Softball
 
2012 
Benjamin Forrest, Rutgers, Cross Country/Track & Field
Allison Schroeder, Notre Dame, Cross Country/Track & Field
 
2011 
Tyler Davis, Notre Dame, Tennis
Amy Zhang, Rutgers, Tennis