Naomi Hickman
Photo by: Creighton Athletics
Sakowski & Hickman Earn BIG EAST Institutional Scholar-Athlete Scholarships
7/28/2021 4:05:00 PM | Baseball, Volleyball
Each will receive $2,000 scholarship toward graduate studies
NEW YORK -- Creighton University's John Sakowski and Naomi Hickman have been named recipients of 2020-21 BIG EAST Institutional Scholar-Athlete Scholarships, the league announced on Wednesday.
Each institutional winner receives $2,000 toward graduate studies.
An Omaha product, Sakowski completed his sixth and final season with Creighton Baseball in May. In 75 career appearances with the Bluejays, the right-handed reliever went 10-5 with 10 saves. he struck out 108 batters in 115.2 innings of work, finishing with a 4.12 ERA. In the classroom, Sakowski has been a regular on the BIG EAST All-Academic Team. He's seeking his Master's in oral biology while studying to become a dentist.
Hickman hails from Lawrence, Kan., and enters her fifth and final year with the Bluejay Volleyball program this fall. She's been a part of four BIG EAST regular-season titles and three BIG EAST Tournament championships, including the 2020 event when she was named Most Valuable Player. A nursing major, Hickman earned First Team All-East Region and All-BIG EAST accolades last season.
Providence runner Marcelo Rocha was named BIG EAST Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year, while DePaul tennis standout Aspasia Avgeri was named the BIG EAST Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Both Rocha and Avegeri receive a $4,000 scholarship, which may be applied to graduate or professional studies, for their recognitions.
The selections were made by the Conference's Academic Affairs Committee and was announced by the Conference on Wednesday.
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Twenty-two student-athletes (one male and one female from each of the BIG EAST's 11 member institutions were named as BIG EAST Institutional Scholar-Athlete award winners.
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2020-21 BIG EAST Institutional Male Scholar-Athlete Awards
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BIG EAST Male Scholar-Athletes Of The Year
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Note: In 2019-20, the BIG EAST did not present the Male or Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
*Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the BIG EAST Men's and Women's Indoor Track & Field Championships were not held this season. Additionally, Georgetown did not compete in certain Olympic sport seasons. It was important to the BIG EAST Academic Awards Committee to continue to acknowledge the academic accomplishments of these student-athletes.
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2020-21 BIG EAST Institutional Female Scholar-Athlete Awards *
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BIG EAST Female Scholar-Athletes Of The Year
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Note: In 2019-20, the BIG EAST did not present the Male or Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
 *Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the BIG EAST Men's and Women's Indoor Track & Field Championships were not held this season. Additionally, Georgetown did not compete in certain Olympic sport seasons. It was important to the BIG EAST Academic Awards Committee to continue to acknowledge the academic accomplishments of these student-athletes.
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Each institutional winner receives $2,000 toward graduate studies.
An Omaha product, Sakowski completed his sixth and final season with Creighton Baseball in May. In 75 career appearances with the Bluejays, the right-handed reliever went 10-5 with 10 saves. he struck out 108 batters in 115.2 innings of work, finishing with a 4.12 ERA. In the classroom, Sakowski has been a regular on the BIG EAST All-Academic Team. He's seeking his Master's in oral biology while studying to become a dentist.
Hickman hails from Lawrence, Kan., and enters her fifth and final year with the Bluejay Volleyball program this fall. She's been a part of four BIG EAST regular-season titles and three BIG EAST Tournament championships, including the 2020 event when she was named Most Valuable Player. A nursing major, Hickman earned First Team All-East Region and All-BIG EAST accolades last season.
Providence runner Marcelo Rocha was named BIG EAST Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year, while DePaul tennis standout Aspasia Avgeri was named the BIG EAST Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Both Rocha and Avegeri receive a $4,000 scholarship, which may be applied to graduate or professional studies, for their recognitions.
The selections were made by the Conference's Academic Affairs Committee and was announced by the Conference on Wednesday.
Â
Twenty-two student-athletes (one male and one female from each of the BIG EAST's 11 member institutions were named as BIG EAST Institutional Scholar-Athlete award winners.
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2020-21 BIG EAST Institutional Male Scholar-Athlete Awards
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| School | Name, Sport(s) |
| Butler | Michael Cascino, Men's Golf |
| UConn | Omar Gebril, Indoor Track & Field |
| Creighton | John Sakowski, Baseball |
| DePaul | Fran Tonejc, Tennis |
| Georgetown | Jake Carraway, Lacrosse |
| Marquette | Joseph Keys, Outdoor Track & Field |
| Providence | Marcelo Rocha, Outdoor Track & Field |
| St. John's | Matthew Forster, Soccer |
| Seton Hall | Andreas Nota, Soccer |
| Villanova | Jaydn Anczarski, Outdoor Track & Field |
| Xavier | Alex Sironen, Swimming & Diving |
BIG EAST Male Scholar-Athletes Of The Year
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| 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 |
| 2018 | Eric Dick, Butler, Soccer |
| 2019 | Sven Koenig, Creighton, Soccer |
| 2021 | Marcelo Rocha, Providence, Track & Field |
Note: In 2019-20, the BIG EAST did not present the Male or Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
*Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the BIG EAST Men's and Women's Indoor Track & Field Championships were not held this season. Additionally, Georgetown did not compete in certain Olympic sport seasons. It was important to the BIG EAST Academic Awards Committee to continue to acknowledge the academic accomplishments of these student-athletes.
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2020-21 BIG EAST Institutional Female Scholar-Athlete Awards *
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| School | Name, Sport(s) |
| Butler | Stephanie Rodriguez, Soccer |
| UConn | Melina Couzis, Soccer |
| Creighton | Naomi Hickman, Volleyball |
| DePaul | Aspasia Avgeri, Tennis |
| Georgetown | Jenna Menta, Soccer |
| Marquette | Emma Moravec, Outdoor Track & Field |
| Providence | Julia Murphy, Softball |
| St. John's | Gretchen Bowie, Softball |
| Seton Hall | Cristina Fernandez, Cross Country |
| Villanova | Paige Rauch, Softball |
| Xavier | Morgan Tinsley, Golf |
BIG EAST Female Scholar-Athletes Of The Year
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| Year | Name, School, Sport |
| 1985 | Leigh Curl, Connecticut, Basketball |
| 1986 | Joanne Keehs, Villanova, Track & Field |
| 1987 | Karen Ferreria, Providence, Volleyball |
| 1988 | Noreen Coughlin, Pittsburgh, Volleyball |
| 1989 | Vicki Huber, Villanova, Track & Field |
| 1990 | Siobhan Gallagher, Providence, Track & Field |
| 1991 | Cami White, Providence, Field Hockey |
| 1992 | Kelly Larkin, Syracuse, Field Hockey |
| 1993 | Nnenna Lynch, Villanova, Track & Field |
| 1994 | Allison Williams, Pittsburgh, Track & Field |
| 1995 | Becky Spies, Villanova, Cross Country/Track & Field |
| 1996 | Najuma Fletcher, Pittsburgh, Track & Field |
| 1997 | Jen Renola, Notre Dame, Soccer |
| 1998 | Charity Wachera, West Virginia, Track & Field |
| 1999 | Gladys Ganiel, Providence, Cross Country/Track & Field |
| 2000 | Jenny Streiffer, Notre Dame, Soccer |
| 2001 | Ruth Riley, Notre Dame, Basketball |
| 2002 | Jarrah Myers, Notre Dame, Softball |
| 2003 | Erin McIntyre, Rutgers, Swimming & Diving |
| 2004 | Vanessa Pruzinsky, Notre Dame, Soccer |
| 2005 | Nicole Lee, Georgetown, Cross Country/Track & Field |
| 2006 | Kelly Harrigan, Rutgers, Swimming & Diving |
| 2007 | Jessica Javelet, Louisville, Field Hockey |
| 2008 | Jillian Drouin, Syracuse, Track & Field |
| 2009 | Jennifer Kleinhans, Connecticut, Field Hockey |
| 2010 | Meagan Dooley, Pittsburgh, Volleyball |
| 2011 | Maya Moore, Connecticut, Basketball |
| 2012 | Natalie Kulla, Marquette, Soccer |
| 2013 | Sam Roecker, Providence, Cross Country/Track & Field |
| 2014 | Emily Sisson, Providence, Cross Country/Track & Field |
| 2015 | Shelbey Manthorpe, Seton Hall, Volleyball |
| 2016 | Rachel Daly, St. John's, Soccer |
| 2017 | Lauren Smith, Creighton, Volleyball |
| 2018 | Alexis Walkden, Seton Hall, Softball |
| 2019 | Taryn Kloth, Creighton, Volleyball |
| 2021 | Aspasia Avgeri, DePaul, Tennis |
 *Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the BIG EAST Men's and Women's Indoor Track & Field Championships were not held this season. Additionally, Georgetown did not compete in certain Olympic sport seasons. It was important to the BIG EAST Academic Awards Committee to continue to acknowledge the academic accomplishments of these student-athletes.
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