NEW YORK - The BIG EAST Conference has announced the winners of the 2025-26 BIG EAST Sport Excellence Awards, which recognize academic and athletic achievement as well as community service. Butler's Jesse Hamlin (Men's Indoor T&F), William Zegarski (Men's Outdoor T&F) and Hailey Conger (Softball) earned the sport excellence awards in their respective sports. 
 
The Sport Excellence Awards are presented 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 selected by the BIG EAST Faculty Athletics Representative Council.
 
Seton Hall led all schools with seven honorees. Butler, UConn, Marquette and St. John's also had multiple recipients.
 
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 Faculty Athletics Representative Council. The nominees represent exceptional student-athletes who excel in academics, service and athletics and are outstanding representatives of their schools and the Conference.
 
Hamlin was named the BIG EAST Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year last week. He earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics and computer science from Butler with a 3.798 cumulative GPA and is pursuing a master's degree in data analytics with a 3.904 graduate GPA. He graduated cum laude, earned College Sports Communicators Academic All-America Second Team honors in 2026 (as well as CSC All-District honors in both 2025 and 2026) and was named to the BIG EAST All-Academic Team four times. During the indoor track and field season, Hamlin won the 5,000 meters, mile and 4x800-meter relay at the BIG EAST Indoor Championships, becoming the first athlete in conference history to win all three events at the same championship. He was named the BIG EAST Most Outstanding Track Performer and High Point Performer before placing fifth in the 3,000 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships, earning him All-America First Team honors.
 
Zegarski ran a personal-best in the 10,000-meter event at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, a mark that earned him 10th in the nation and All-America Second Team honors. His time of 28.19.38 was only 28 seconds behind the first place finisher. Zegarski's inclusion in the 10k final marked the sixth consecutive NCAA Championship with a Bulldog in the field. Zegarski also won the individual title in the 10K at the BIG EAST Outdoor Track & Field Championships. He posted a 3.61 GPA while pursuing his degree in Data Science and Statistics.
 
Conger, who graduated with dual degrees in Speech, Hearing and Language Sciences and Psychology, produced a 3.94 GPA this year. Hailing from Gurnee, Ill., Conger earned All-BIG EAST First Team and NFCA All-Region Third Team honors in 2026. She ranked among the BIG EAST and national leaders in multiple categories: first in the BIG EAST and 25th nationally with 1.20 runs/game, second/31st with a .536 on-base percentage, and second/84th with a .410 batting average. Her 55 runs scored this season broke Butler's single-season record, which was previously 42.

2025-26 BIG EAST Sport Excellence Award Winners

Sport	Name	School
Baseball	Ryan Reich	Seton Hall
Men's Basketball	Alex Karaban	UConn
Men's Cross Country	Stephen Beaman	Seton Hall
Men's Golf	Mason Schmidtke	Marquette
Men's Indoor Track & Field	Jesse Hamlin	Butler
Men's Lacrosse	Peter Detwiler	Marquette
Men's Outdoor Track & Field	William Zegarski	Butler
Men's Soccer	Axel Berglund	Seton Hall
Men's Swimming & Diving	Kevin Cary	Seton Hall
Men's Tennis	Adam Groves	St. John's
Softball	Hailey Conger	Butler
Volleyball	Erin Jones	St. John's
Women's Basketball	Savannah Catalon	Seton Hall
Women's Cross Country	Melissa Riggins	Georgetown
Field Hockey	Sol Simone	UConn
Women's Golf	Lara Todorovic	Seton Hall
Women's Indoor Track & Field	Anna Connors	UConn
Women's Lacrosse	Hanna Bodner	Marquette
Women's Outdoor Track & Field	Jamora Alves	St. John's
Women's Soccer	Maja Lardner	Georgetown
Women's Swimming & Diving	Jordyn Libler	Xavier
Women's Tennis	Niamh Campbell	Seton Hall