Marquette University Athletics
Eichhorn and Werch earn 2021-22 BIG EAST Sports Excellence Awards
7/26/2022 10:00:00 AM | Men's Golf, Women's Volleyball, Academics and Student Programs
Eichhorn earns the recognition for the second straight year
NEW YORK - Marquette University men's golfer Hunter Eichhorn and women's volleyball player Hope Werch were announced Tuesday as the winners of 2021-22 BIG EAST Sport Excellence Awards, which recognize academic and athletic achievement as well as community service in their respective sports.
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. 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.
Eichhorn, who was also the men's golf sport excellence award winner last year, made his fourth NCAA regional appearance in Columbus, Ohio in May after being named the BIG EAST Men's Golf Player of the Year for the third time in his career. He is the only player in league history to earn player of the year three times and set a Marquette record with an 11-under 61 in the final round of the Puerto Rico Classic on Feb. 15. His 54-hole score of 203 (-13) in Puerto Rico was also a personal low.
The graduate student was an All-BIG EAST First Team selection for the fourth time this spring. Eichhorn is the only golfer in Marquette history to earn all-region recognition on at least four separate occasions.
Werch totaled 3.02 kills per set while leading the BIG EAST with 0.51 service aces per frame as a graduate student in the fall of 2021. The six-rotation hitter sits atop the MU career leaderboard for service aces and is the first Marquette player to reach 1,000 kills, 1,000 digs and 150 service aces in a career. The graduate student earned All-BIG EAST honors the past three seasons, is a two-time AVCA All-Region honoree and the 2017 BIG EAST Freshman of the Year.
Werch is the sixth MU women's volleyball player to earn the BIG EAST Sport Excellence Award. Former teammate Allie Barber most recently earned the accolade in 2019-20, while Kim Todd (2007-08), Nikki Klingsporn (2010-11), Danielle Carlson (2011-12, 2012-13) and Elizabeth Koberstein (2013-14) also earned the honor.
Of the list of 22 honorees, 13 of the winners competed in the NCAAs in their respective sports and 14 were 2021-22 Major Award Winners or BIG EAST Championship winners.
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.
2021-22 BIG EAST Sports Excellence Award Winners:
$ - undergraduate GPA indicated only
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. 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.
Eichhorn, who was also the men's golf sport excellence award winner last year, made his fourth NCAA regional appearance in Columbus, Ohio in May after being named the BIG EAST Men's Golf Player of the Year for the third time in his career. He is the only player in league history to earn player of the year three times and set a Marquette record with an 11-under 61 in the final round of the Puerto Rico Classic on Feb. 15. His 54-hole score of 203 (-13) in Puerto Rico was also a personal low.
The graduate student was an All-BIG EAST First Team selection for the fourth time this spring. Eichhorn is the only golfer in Marquette history to earn all-region recognition on at least four separate occasions.
Werch totaled 3.02 kills per set while leading the BIG EAST with 0.51 service aces per frame as a graduate student in the fall of 2021. The six-rotation hitter sits atop the MU career leaderboard for service aces and is the first Marquette player to reach 1,000 kills, 1,000 digs and 150 service aces in a career. The graduate student earned All-BIG EAST honors the past three seasons, is a two-time AVCA All-Region honoree and the 2017 BIG EAST Freshman of the Year.
Werch is the sixth MU women's volleyball player to earn the BIG EAST Sport Excellence Award. Former teammate Allie Barber most recently earned the accolade in 2019-20, while Kim Todd (2007-08), Nikki Klingsporn (2010-11), Danielle Carlson (2011-12, 2012-13) and Elizabeth Koberstein (2013-14) also earned the honor.
Of the list of 22 honorees, 13 of the winners competed in the NCAAs in their respective sports and 14 were 2021-22 Major Award Winners or BIG EAST Championship winners.
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.
2021-22 BIG EAST Sports Excellence Award Winners:
| Sport | Student-Athlete | Institution | Major | GPA $ |
| Baseball | Luke Franzoni | Xavier | Marketing | 3.900 |
| Men's Basketball | Collin Gillespie | Villanova | Communications | 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 | Communication Studies | 3.547 |
$ - undergraduate GPA indicated only
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Golf
OH
/ Women's VolleyballStill thinking about this dunk🤩 #nigeljamesjr #dunk #ncaa #poster #bigeast
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