Five Pirates Net BIG EAST Sports Excellence Awards
7/26/2017 12:51:00 PM | General, Men's Golf, Men's Swimming and Diving, Softball, Women's Golf, Women's Volleyball
NEW YORK – Five Seton Hall student-athletes, volleyball's Tessa Fournier (Redondo Beach, Calif.), men's golfer Lloyd Jefferson Go (Guadalupe Cebu City, Philippines), women's golfer Cassie Pantelas (Canton, Ohio), softball's Alexis Walkden (Cibolo, Texas) and men's swimmer Noah Yanchulis (Arnold, Md.), were named 2016-17 BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete Sports Excellence Award recipients on Wednesday.
The Scholar-Athlete 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.
Named BIG EAST Libero of the Year for a third consecutive time, Fournier led the BIG EAST in digs per set (5.03) in 2016 for a third consecutive season. An AVCA All-Region Honorable Mention, she recorded at least 20 digs in a single-match 14 times this season, including a season-high 33 digs vs. Butler on Sept. 23. Fournier completed the regular season with 22 digs in only three sets in a must-win match vs. St. John's on Nov. 19, and was rightfully named BIG EAST Player of the Week for her performance. Earlier in the year, she was named one of only 30 candidates nationwide for the prestigious Senior CLASS Award, which honors excellence on the court, in the classroom and in the community.
Go repeated as BIG EAST Men's Golf Player of the Year and became the first four-time All-BIG EAST performer in Seton Hall history. Already arguably Seton Hall's greatest golfer, Go shot a career-best stroke average of 71.29 in 2016-17, which led the BIG EAST Conference. In 11 tournaments, he recorded eight top-10 finishes, seven top-5 finishes and won the Princeton Invitational. He had five sub-par tournaments this year, including a Seton Hall par-72 record, 11-under par, 205, at the Loyola Invitational. Go's 7-under-par, 203, at The Doc Gimmler this fall broke the Seton Hall par-70 tournament record by six strokes. Go was named BIG EAST Golfer of the Week three times this year, and capped his collegiate career by receiving an at large bid to the NCAA Regionals, the second straight year he has played in the marquee event.
For the second straight year, Pantelas was named to the All-BIG EAST Second Team and led the Pirates with a 76.65 stroke average, the fifth-highest single-year mark in the history of the Seton Hall program. A BIG EAST Academic All-Star, she also notched five top-10 finishes and three top-5 finishes last year. Named BIG EAST Golfer of the Week on Sept. 14, Pantelas notched her third career sub-par round, a 1-under-par, 71, in the second round of the Jackrabbit Invitational. The highlight of her junior campaign was her performance at the 2017 BIG EAST Championship, when she led the field after both the first and second rounds, and ended up tying for second place. Her 6-over-par performance is tied for the fewest strokes over par at the BIG EAST Championship ever for a Pirate.
The 2017 BIG EAST Player of the Year, Walkden concluded her third season in South Orange with a .352 average along with 15 doubles, 13 home runs, 39 RBIs and 41 runs scored. She also drew 36 walks and stole 11 bases in 11 attempts to become the first player in program history to notch double-digit home runs and stolen bases in the same season. Walkden's 2017 was one of the most decorated seasons in Seton Hall history. She was named All-ECAC, First Team All-BIG EAST and NFCA Second Team All-Region in addition to becoming only the second BIG EAST Player of the Year ever awarded to a Pirate. The junior sits in the top-five in program history in nearly every major offensive category, including second all-time in both home runs and RBIs.
For a second consecutive season, Yanchulis was named BIG EAST Male Swimmer of the Year, this time however, he led the Pirates to their first BIG EAST Championship in program history. In the title effort, Yanchulis took home four of the team's 10 gold medals, and broke two individual and three relay school records. Over the course of the year, he netted five first-place finishes in his specialty, the 200-meter freestyle event. The program's all-time leader with seven BIG EAST titles, his most recent victory was the final race at the BIG EAST Championship when he swam the first leg of the 400-meter freestyle relay and recorded the fastest 100-yard swim in school history (44.66).
The Scholar-Athlete 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.
Named BIG EAST Libero of the Year for a third consecutive time, Fournier led the BIG EAST in digs per set (5.03) in 2016 for a third consecutive season. An AVCA All-Region Honorable Mention, she recorded at least 20 digs in a single-match 14 times this season, including a season-high 33 digs vs. Butler on Sept. 23. Fournier completed the regular season with 22 digs in only three sets in a must-win match vs. St. John's on Nov. 19, and was rightfully named BIG EAST Player of the Week for her performance. Earlier in the year, she was named one of only 30 candidates nationwide for the prestigious Senior CLASS Award, which honors excellence on the court, in the classroom and in the community.
Go repeated as BIG EAST Men's Golf Player of the Year and became the first four-time All-BIG EAST performer in Seton Hall history. Already arguably Seton Hall's greatest golfer, Go shot a career-best stroke average of 71.29 in 2016-17, which led the BIG EAST Conference. In 11 tournaments, he recorded eight top-10 finishes, seven top-5 finishes and won the Princeton Invitational. He had five sub-par tournaments this year, including a Seton Hall par-72 record, 11-under par, 205, at the Loyola Invitational. Go's 7-under-par, 203, at The Doc Gimmler this fall broke the Seton Hall par-70 tournament record by six strokes. Go was named BIG EAST Golfer of the Week three times this year, and capped his collegiate career by receiving an at large bid to the NCAA Regionals, the second straight year he has played in the marquee event.
For the second straight year, Pantelas was named to the All-BIG EAST Second Team and led the Pirates with a 76.65 stroke average, the fifth-highest single-year mark in the history of the Seton Hall program. A BIG EAST Academic All-Star, she also notched five top-10 finishes and three top-5 finishes last year. Named BIG EAST Golfer of the Week on Sept. 14, Pantelas notched her third career sub-par round, a 1-under-par, 71, in the second round of the Jackrabbit Invitational. The highlight of her junior campaign was her performance at the 2017 BIG EAST Championship, when she led the field after both the first and second rounds, and ended up tying for second place. Her 6-over-par performance is tied for the fewest strokes over par at the BIG EAST Championship ever for a Pirate.
The 2017 BIG EAST Player of the Year, Walkden concluded her third season in South Orange with a .352 average along with 15 doubles, 13 home runs, 39 RBIs and 41 runs scored. She also drew 36 walks and stole 11 bases in 11 attempts to become the first player in program history to notch double-digit home runs and stolen bases in the same season. Walkden's 2017 was one of the most decorated seasons in Seton Hall history. She was named All-ECAC, First Team All-BIG EAST and NFCA Second Team All-Region in addition to becoming only the second BIG EAST Player of the Year ever awarded to a Pirate. The junior sits in the top-five in program history in nearly every major offensive category, including second all-time in both home runs and RBIs.
For a second consecutive season, Yanchulis was named BIG EAST Male Swimmer of the Year, this time however, he led the Pirates to their first BIG EAST Championship in program history. In the title effort, Yanchulis took home four of the team's 10 gold medals, and broke two individual and three relay school records. Over the course of the year, he netted five first-place finishes in his specialty, the 200-meter freestyle event. The program's all-time leader with seven BIG EAST titles, his most recent victory was the final race at the BIG EAST Championship when he swam the first leg of the 400-meter freestyle relay and recorded the fastest 100-yard swim in school history (44.66).
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Volleyball
/ Men's Golf
/ Women's Golf
Infield
/ Softball
Freestyle/Individual Medley
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