The prolific Bulldog scorer will be awarded a $4,000 scholarship, which can be applied to postgraduate studies.
NEW YORK – Butler senior men's soccer standout
David Goldsmith was named the BIG EAST Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Presented by Sunkist, the league announced on Wednesday. Goldsmith, a prolific scorer for the BIG EAST Champion Bulldogs, will be awarded a $4,000 scholarship, which may be applied to graduate or professional studies. Goldsmith is Butler's first BIG EAST Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The selection was made by the Conference's Academic Affairs Committee.
The Conference also announced the male winners of the 2016-17 BIG EAST Institutional Scholar-Athlete Scholarships, Presented by Sunkist. Each institutional winner receives $2,000 toward graduate studies.
Five of this year's men's institutional winners were from men's soccer teams.
Goldsmith, a unanimous selection to the All-BIG EAST First Team, was the leading scorer on the 2016 BIG EAST champions, earning BIG EAST Tournament Most Outstanding Offensive Player honors as Butler captured the league title with wins over Villanova and Creighton. The team captain and Bristol, England, native led Butler to its first BIG EAST title.
Goldsmith, the BIG EAST Co-Offensive Player of the Year, finished the season with 12 goals and 28 points, and spent much of the season ranked in the Top 10 nationally in scoring. Goldsmith was also a National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Second Team All-American and first team all-region selection. The senior was also a Missouri Athletic Club (MAC) Hermann Trophy Semifinalist in 2016.
During the season, Goldsmith was named the National Player of the Week by the NCAA, NSCAA, College Soccer News, and Top Drawer Soccer for his performance in two matches during the Akron Invitational.
Goldsmith boasted a 3.885 cumulative GPA while pursuing a bachelor's degree in Middle/Secondary Education, Rec and Sports Studies at Butler. He was an NSCAA Scholar All-American First Team member in 2016. In 2015, he was named a third team CoSIDA Academic All-American and NSCAA Scholar All-Region in 2015. Goldsmith was a CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree in 2015, 2014. He has been invited to the Blue Key National Honor Society and Kappa Delta Pi Educational Honor Society as well as a member of the BIG EAST All-Academic Team. The senior has been on the Butler honor roll for the past four years. Goldsmith has received numerous of academic scholarships including the Helen Tewksbury Memorial, Davies Family and College Education awards.
Off the pitch and out of the classroom he has volunteered as a coach for youth soccer. Goldsmith assists as an English As A Second Language (ESL) tutor. He is also a Human Movement Club Board Member where he has held leadership positions in fundraising and secretary.
The BIG EAST Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year was announced in conjunction with the BIG EAST Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The BIG EAST Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year was from Creighton University, Lauren Smith of the volleyball team. The conference will also announce a Women's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year on Feb. 28, preceding the league's tournament. The Men's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year will be announced at the awards press conference on March 8 at Madison Square Garden, preceding the Men's Basketball Tournament.
Twenty student-athletes (one male and one female from each of the BIG EAST's 10 member institutions) will be named as BIG EAST Institutional Scholar-Athlete award winners.
2016-17 BIG EAST Institutional Male Scholar-Athlete Awards Presented by Sunkist
| School |
Name, Sport(s) |
| Butler |
David Goldsmith, Soccer |
| Creighton |
Alex Kapp, Soccer |
| DePaul |
Simon Megally, Soccer |
| Georgetown |
Darren Fahy, Cross Country; Track & Field |
| Marquette |
Nicholas Ebert, Track & Field |
| Providence |
Nicholas Sailor, Soccer |
| St. John's |
Robert Knightes, Baseball |
| Seton Hall |
Julian Spindler, Soccer |
| Villanova |
Patrick Tiernan, Cross Country; Track & Field* |
| Xavier |
Rodrigo Suriano, Swimming & Diving |
BIG EAST Male Scholar-Athletes Of The Year Presented by Sunkist
| Year |
Name, School, Sport |
| 1985 |
Joey David, Pittsburgh, Basketball |
| 1986 |
John Prior, Connecticut, Track & Field |
| 1987 |
Harold Jensen, Villanova, Basketball |
| 1988 |
Dave Echeverria, Villanova, Swimming & Diving |
| 1989 |
Chris Craft, Villanova, Swimming & Diving |
| 1990 |
Pat O'Kelly, Seton Hall, Soccer |
| 1991 |
David Honor, St. John's, Baseball |
| 1992 |
Steve Holman, Georgetown, Track & Field |
| 1993 |
Hector Zamora, Seton Hall, Soccer |
| 1994 |
Sebastien Goulet, Swimming, Syracuse |
| 1995 |
Kevin Lyles, Seton Hall, Track & Field |
| 1996 |
Gil Kovalski, Miami, Tennis |
| 1997 |
Christian Fogarazzo, St. John's, Track & Field |
| 1998 |
Errol Williams, Notre Dame, Track & Field |
| 1999 |
Angelo Ciminiello, Providence, Baseball |
| 2000 |
Scott VanEpps, Pittsburgh, Swimming & Diving |
| 2001 |
Chris Hamblin, Boston College, Soccer |
| 2002 |
Gregory Strohmann, Seton Hall, Soccer |
| 2003 |
Casey Schmidt, Boston College, Soccer |
| 2004 |
Chris Wingert, St. John's, Soccer |
| 2005 |
Guy Melamed, Boston College, Soccer |
| 2006 |
Trevor O'Grady, Rutgers, Track & Field |
| 2007 |
Drew Eckman, Villanova, Track & Field |
| 2008 |
Jeremy Stultz, Pittsburgh, Swimming & Diving |
| 2009 |
Zak Boggs, USF, Soccer |
| 2010 |
Francisco Aristeguieta, USF, Soccer |
| 2011 |
Brian Karalunas, Villanova, Lacrosse |
| 2012 |
Eric Finan, Cincinnati, Cross Country/Track & Field |
| 2013 |
Grant Van De Casteele, Notre Dame, Soccer |
| 2014 |
Charles Lyon, Marquette, Soccer |
| 2015 |
Sam McEntee, Villanova, Cross Country/Track & Field |
| 2016 |
Thomas Hackimer, St. John's, Baseball |
| 2017 |
David Goldsmith, Butler, Soccer |
* - denotes repeat winner from 2015-16
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