NEW YORK - The BIG EAST Conference has announced the winners of the 2024-25 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.
Seton Hall led the way with five honorees, while UConn, DePaul and Marquette each had three recipients. Nine student-athlete winners, Butler’s Talia Sommer, UConn’s Sol Simone and Olivia Wright, DePaul’s Jorie Allen, Alex Bernstein and Sven Moser, Seton Hall’s Stephen Beaman and Samuel Bjoerk, and Xavier’s Lola Mancuso boasted an undergraduate GPA of 3.9 or higher.
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 2024-25 Sport Excellence Award winners please visit each school’s respective website.
2024-25 BIG EAST Sports Excellence Award Winners:
| Sport |
Student-Athlete |
Institution |
Major |
GPA $ |
| Baseball |
Ryan Reich |
Seton Hall |
Finance |
3.728 |
| Men's Basketball |
RJ Luis Jr. |
St. John's |
Sport Management |
3.870 |
| Men's Cross Country |
Stephen Beaman |
Seton Hall |
Diplomacy International Relations |
3.940 |
| Men's Golf |
Patrick Adler |
Marquette |
Business Marketing |
3.600 |
| Men's Indoor Track & Field |
Brett Lehman |
Providence |
Quantitative Economics and Mathematics |
3.880 |
| Men's Lacrosse |
Bobby O'Grady |
Marquette |
Business Applied Investment Management & Finance |
3.866 |
| Men's Outdoor Track & Field |
Alex Bernstein |
DePaul |
Business Analytics |
3.913 |
| Men's Soccer |
Samuel Bjoerk |
Seton Hall |
Economics |
4.000 |
| Men's Swimming and Diving |
Sean Vizzard |
Seton Hall |
Biology, Pre-Med |
3.897 |
| Men's Tennis |
Sven Moser |
DePaul |
Psycology |
3.988 |
| Field Hockey |
Sol Simone |
Connecticut |
Analytics and Information Management |
3.960 |
| Softball |
London Jarrard |
St. John's |
Business Analytics |
3.810 |
| Volleyball |
Aubrey Hamilton |
Marquette |
Elementary Education & Psychology |
3.684 |
| Women's Basketball |
Jorie Allen |
DePaul |
Political Science |
3.903 |
| Women's Cross Country |
Jenna Zydanowicz |
Connecticut |
Allied Health Sciences |
3.585 |
| Women's Golf |
Ana Sarrias Pro |
Seton Hall |
Business Management and Marketing |
3.761 |
| Women's Indoor Track & Field |
Roschell Clayton |
Villanova |
Communications |
3.850 |
| Women's Lacrosse |
Lola Mancuso |
Xavier |
Communications |
3.977 |
| Women's Outdoor Track & Field |
Alexandra Millard |
Providence |
Global Education/TESOL ^ |
3.910 ^ |
| Women's Soccer |
Talia Sommer |
Butler |
Computational Neuroscience |
3.940 |
| Women's Swimming and Diving |
Katie White |
Villanova |
Finance and Marketing |
3.840 |
| Women's Tennis |
Olivia Wright |
Connecticut |
Psychology |
3.930 |
$ - undergraduate GPA indicated only
^ - graduate GPA and major indicated