Luke Haakenson
Photo by: Steve Branscombe
Haakenson Wins BIG EAST's Sport Excellence Award For Men's Soccer
8/10/2020 11:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Minnesota native had five goals and two assists last fall
NEW YORK – The BIG EAST Conference has announced the winners of the 2019-20 BIG EAST Sport Excellence Awards, which recognize academic and athletic achievement as well as community service.
Creighton had one recipient, former men's soccer standout Luke Haakenson. The Maple Grove, Minn., native was a Second Team All-BIG EAST choice last fall for the Bluejays. Three of midfielder/forward's five scores were game-winning goals, and he added two assists. The Finance and Marketing major graduated with a 3.63 GPA. For his work on and off the field, he was honored as Creighton's Carl M. Reinert, S.J., Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Haakenson currently plays for the Charlotte Independence in the USL while on loan from Nashville SC of MLS.
The BIG EAST 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. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, winners for the Sport Excellence awards were only chosen for the fall and winter championship sports. Of the list of 12 honorees, 11 are seniors with one junior. Nine were or have been BIG EAST Players of the Year or BIG EAST Championship winners.
Butler and Villanova led the way with three honorees each. Three student-athlete winners, Butler's Annika Schmidt, Villanova Micaela Grassi and Marquette's Allie Barber, finished their undergraduate career with better than a 3.9 cumulative GPA. Four of the winners are double majors.
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 2019-20 Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award winners please visit each school's respective site.
Men's Basketball: Romaro Gill, Seton Hall, Sr., Social & Behavioral Science, 3.342
Women's Basketball: Chante Stonewall, DePaul, Sr., Psychology and Sociology, 3.704
· 2020 BIG EAST Women's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year; 2020 All-BIG EAST First Team; 2019 BIG EAST Tournament Most Outstanding Player; Honorable Mention All-American (AP, USBWA, WBCA); helped DePaul claim three consecutive BIG EAST Tournament titles and clinched four NCAA Tournament berths; four-time BIG EAST All-Academic Team selection; 2020 CoSIDA Academic All-America Team; NACDA Division 1-AAA Scholar-Athlete Team; eight-time Dean's List member; 11-time Athletic Directors Honor Roll
Men's Cross Country: Euan Makepeace, Butler, R-Sr., Finance & Marketing, 3.282
Women's Cross Country: Anna Kostarellis, Xavier, Jr., Exercise Science, 3.751
Men's Indoor Track & Field: Wade Walder, Butler, Sr., Actuarial Science, 3.525
Women's Indoor Track & Field: Trudy-Ann Williamson, Villanova, Sr., Psychology/Psychological and Brain Sciences, 3.8
Men's Soccer: Luke Haakenson, Creighton, Sr., Finance and Marketing, 3.63
· Three-time All-BIG EAST First Team; United Soccer Coaches First Team All-Region; CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team; United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-Region First Team; CoSIDA Academic All-America Third Team; United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-American Third Team; CoSIDA Academic All-District Second Team; United Soccer Coaches Academic All-Region Second Team; helped Butler advance to two straight BIG EAST Championship title games (2018, 2017); Butler Way Leadership Institute (2017-19); Dean's List; Athletics Director Honor Roll
Men's Swimming: Michael Perra, Villanova, Sr., Biology, 3.61
· Six-time BIG EAST Champion, sweeping the 1- and 3-meter diving events 2017-19; three-time BIG EAST Championship Most Outstanding Diver (2018-20); three-time All-BIG EAST Team; Athletic Directors Honor Roll; Dean's List for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; Dr. Richard A. Neville Distinguished Student Award; Sigma Delta Pi Hispanic Honor Society; Alpha Epsilon Delta Honors Society; NOVAdance Committee Member; Villanova Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Representative
Women's Swimming: Micaela Grassi, Villanova, Sr., English and Criminology, 3.94
· Athletic Directors Honor Roll and Dean's List every semester; Villanova SAAC member; Phi Beta Kappa honor society; two-time All-BIG EAST Team; member of four consecutive BIG EAST Championship-winning teams; Academic Excellence Award recipient; four-time BIG EAST event champion
Volleyball: Allie Barber, Marquette, Sr., Biomedical Sciences, 3.984
· Unanimous choice for 2019 BIG EAST Player of the Year; four-time first team All-BIG EAST honoree; 2019 Senior CLASS Award First Team; 2019 CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year and first team; graduated as Marquette's all-time kills leader (1,871); 2019 honorable mention for American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-America; AVCA All-East Coast Region; six-time BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week; four-time BIG EAST All-Academic Team honoree; Marquette's President's Award winner for 2019-20; BIG EAST nominee for NCAA Woman of the Year
Creighton had one recipient, former men's soccer standout Luke Haakenson. The Maple Grove, Minn., native was a Second Team All-BIG EAST choice last fall for the Bluejays. Three of midfielder/forward's five scores were game-winning goals, and he added two assists. The Finance and Marketing major graduated with a 3.63 GPA. For his work on and off the field, he was honored as Creighton's Carl M. Reinert, S.J., Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Haakenson currently plays for the Charlotte Independence in the USL while on loan from Nashville SC of MLS.
The BIG EAST 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. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, winners for the Sport Excellence awards were only chosen for the fall and winter championship sports. Of the list of 12 honorees, 11 are seniors with one junior. Nine were or have been BIG EAST Players of the Year or BIG EAST Championship winners.
Butler and Villanova led the way with three honorees each. Three student-athlete winners, Butler's Annika Schmidt, Villanova Micaela Grassi and Marquette's Allie Barber, finished their undergraduate career with better than a 3.9 cumulative GPA. Four of the winners are double majors.
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 2019-20 Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award winners please visit each school's respective site.
Men's Basketball: Romaro Gill, Seton Hall, Sr., Social & Behavioral Science, 3.342
- 2019-20 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year and BIG EAST Most Improved Player; named to the 2019-20 National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-District Second Team; two-time NABC Honors Court honoree (2019, 2020); ranked third in the nation for blocks per game (3.2); three-time member of the BIG EAST All-Academic Team (2018, 2019, 2020); student-athlete representative on the NCAA Men's Basketball Oversight Committee
Women's Basketball: Chante Stonewall, DePaul, Sr., Psychology and Sociology, 3.704
· 2020 BIG EAST Women's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year; 2020 All-BIG EAST First Team; 2019 BIG EAST Tournament Most Outstanding Player; Honorable Mention All-American (AP, USBWA, WBCA); helped DePaul claim three consecutive BIG EAST Tournament titles and clinched four NCAA Tournament berths; four-time BIG EAST All-Academic Team selection; 2020 CoSIDA Academic All-America Team; NACDA Division 1-AAA Scholar-Athlete Team; eight-time Dean's List member; 11-time Athletic Directors Honor Roll
Men's Cross Country: Euan Makepeace, Butler, R-Sr., Finance & Marketing, 3.282
- 2019 BIG EAST Cross Country Individual Champion (25:03.9); had three top five BIG EAST Championship finishes in his career; second place finisher in the 2019 NCAA Great Lakes Regional; finished 15th at NCAA Championship; Earned 2019 NCAA D-I Cross Country All-Academic Team honors (USTFCCCA); selected to represent Great Britain in the 2019 European Cross Country Championship
Women's Cross Country: Anna Kostarellis, Xavier, Jr., Exercise Science, 3.751
- Earned 2019 NCAA D-I Cross Country All-Academic Team honors (USTFCCCA);2019 BIG EAST Cross Country Championship Runner-Up (21:39.8), finished 11th in NCAA Great Lakes Regional and 66th in NCAA Championship; won two titles during 2019 cross country regular season (Queen City Invitational & Louisville Classic)
Men's Indoor Track & Field: Wade Walder, Butler, Sr., Actuarial Science, 3.525
- Two-time 2020 BIG EAST Indoor Track & Field Individual Champion (heptathlon, pole vault); 2020 BIG EAST High Point Performer and Most Outstanding Field Performer; was also the 2019 BIG EAST Indoor Track & Field Heptathlon Champion and Most Outstanding Field Performer; earned All-BIG EAST accolades for the BIG EAST Indoor Championships all four years; four-time BIG EAST All-Academic Team honoree
Women's Indoor Track & Field: Trudy-Ann Williamson, Villanova, Sr., Psychology/Psychological and Brain Sciences, 3.8
- Three-time BIG EAST indoor 60-meters champion; set the school record in two events during the 2020 Indoor BIG EAST Championships (60-meters, 200-meters); helped Villanova capture its third straight BIG EAST Indoor Track & Field Championship title; was the lone collegiate competitor to run in the 60-meters at the Millrose Games; five of her top eight times in the 60-meter dash were recorded during the 2019-20 indoor track season; four-time member of the BIG EAST All-Academic Team; earned academic honors from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) three consecutive times
- 2019 BIG EAST Offensive Player of Year; helped Connecticut to its eighth consecutive BIG EAST Championship title as the tournament's Most Outstanding Player; earned 2019 First Team All-BIG EAST honors as well as Longstreth/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA)First Team All-America accolades; ranked fourth nationally in goals (21) and points (55); 2019 NFHCA Mideast Player of the Year; was a finalist for the NCAA's Honda Award; four-time BIG EAST All-Academic Team honoree and NFHCA All-Academic team; BIG EAST nominee for NCAA Woman of the Year
Men's Soccer: Luke Haakenson, Creighton, Sr., Finance and Marketing, 3.63
- Earned All-BIG EAST Second Team honors in 2019; ranked second on Creighton's squad with five goals, three game-winners; helped Creighton to a 2019 BIG EAST Championship berth; named Creighton's 2020 Carl M. Reinert, S.J., Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
· Three-time All-BIG EAST First Team; United Soccer Coaches First Team All-Region; CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team; United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-Region First Team; CoSIDA Academic All-America Third Team; United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-American Third Team; CoSIDA Academic All-District Second Team; United Soccer Coaches Academic All-Region Second Team; helped Butler advance to two straight BIG EAST Championship title games (2018, 2017); Butler Way Leadership Institute (2017-19); Dean's List; Athletics Director Honor Roll
Men's Swimming: Michael Perra, Villanova, Sr., Biology, 3.61
· Six-time BIG EAST Champion, sweeping the 1- and 3-meter diving events 2017-19; three-time BIG EAST Championship Most Outstanding Diver (2018-20); three-time All-BIG EAST Team; Athletic Directors Honor Roll; Dean's List for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; Dr. Richard A. Neville Distinguished Student Award; Sigma Delta Pi Hispanic Honor Society; Alpha Epsilon Delta Honors Society; NOVAdance Committee Member; Villanova Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Representative
Women's Swimming: Micaela Grassi, Villanova, Sr., English and Criminology, 3.94
· Athletic Directors Honor Roll and Dean's List every semester; Villanova SAAC member; Phi Beta Kappa honor society; two-time All-BIG EAST Team; member of four consecutive BIG EAST Championship-winning teams; Academic Excellence Award recipient; four-time BIG EAST event champion
Volleyball: Allie Barber, Marquette, Sr., Biomedical Sciences, 3.984
· Unanimous choice for 2019 BIG EAST Player of the Year; four-time first team All-BIG EAST honoree; 2019 Senior CLASS Award First Team; 2019 CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year and first team; graduated as Marquette's all-time kills leader (1,871); 2019 honorable mention for American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-America; AVCA All-East Coast Region; six-time BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week; four-time BIG EAST All-Academic Team honoree; Marquette's President's Award winner for 2019-20; BIG EAST nominee for NCAA Woman of the Year
Players Mentioned
M/F
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Creighton MSOC Highlights & Postgame vs Omaha 9-10-25
Thursday, September 11
