NEW YORK – The BIG EAST Conference has announced the winners of the 2021-22 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.
Barry Keane earned the honor for the Bulldogs to represent the Butler men's track and field program. Keane is a finance major with a 3.205 GPA.
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, 13 of the winners competed in the NCAAs in their respective sports and 14 were 2021-22 BIG EAST Yearly Award or BIG EAST Championship winners.
Keane capped off an impressive 2022 season by finishing ninth in the 10,000-meter run at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. He clocked in a 28:19.94, just seconds shy of a First Team All-American spot. Keane won the 10,000-meters at the BIG EAST Outdoor Championships and would take fifth place at the NCAA Outdoor East Regionals.
Across the conference, Villanova led the way with six honorees, while DePaul ranked second with four recipients. Seven student-athlete winners, DePaul's Maranda Gutierrez, Marija Jovicic and Morgan Turner, Providence's Marcelo Rocha, St. John's Jessie Kweon, Villanova's Sade Meeks and Xavier's Luke Franzoni 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 2021-22 Sport Excellence Award winners please visit each school's respective site.
2021-22 BIG EAST Sport Excellence Award Winners:
| Sport |
Student-Athlete |
Institution |
Major |
GPA |
| Baseball |
Luke Franzoni |
Xavier |
Marketing |
3.900 |
| Men's Basketball |
Collin Gillespie |
Villanova |
Communication |
3.200 |
| Women's Basketball |
Maddy Siegrist |
Villanova |
Communications |
3.260 |
| Men's Cross Country |
Marcelo Rocha |
Providence |
Environmental Biology |
3.980 |
| Women's Cross Country |
Lauren Ginefra |
Seton Hall |
Biology |
3.637 |
| Men's Indoor Track & Field |
Sean Dolan |
Villanova |
Communications |
3.390 |
| Women's Indoor Track & Field |
Sade Meeks |
Villanova |
Accounting |
4.000 |
| Men's Outdoor Track & Field |
Barry Keane |
Butler |
Finance |
3.205 |
| Women's Outdoor Track & Field |
Alex O'Neill |
Providence |
Marketing and French |
3.350 |
| Field Hockey |
Ciara Weets |
Georgetown |
Science, Tech & Int'l Affairs |
3.728 |
| Men's Golf |
Hunter Eichhorn |
Marquette |
Corporate Communication & Communication Studies |
3.200 |
| Women's Golf |
Jessie Kweon |
St. John's |
Sport Management |
3.900 |
| Men's Lacrosse |
Matt Grillo |
Providence |
Finance |
3.590 |
| Women's Lacrosse |
Landyn White |
UCONN |
Allied Health Sciences |
3.646 |
| Men's Soccer |
Dante Polvara |
Georgetown |
Finance |
3.469 |
| Women's Soccer |
Morgan Turner |
DePaul |
Political Science |
3.961 |
| Softball |
Maranda Gutierrez |
DePaul |
Elementary Education |
3.988 |
| Men's Swimming & Diving |
Michael Ackert |
Villanova |
Marketing and Business Analytics |
3.550 |
| Women's Swimming & Diving |
Kelly Montesi |
Villanova |
Nursing |
3.340 |
| Men's Tennis |
Vito Tonejc |
DePaul |
Sports Communication |
3.551 |
| Women's Tennis |
Marija Jovicic |
DePaul |
Computer Science |
4.000 |
| Volleyball |
Hope Werch |
Marquette |
CMST |
3.547 |
