Ava Martin Wins BIG EAST Institutional Female Scholar-Athlete Award

NEW YORK – Former Volleyball All-American Ava Martin has been named Creighton's recipient of the 2025-26 BIG EAST Institutional Female Scholar-Athlete Award. The selection were made by the Conference's Academic Affairs Committee. Each institutional winner receives $2,000 toward graduate studies, with the BIG EAST's overall Female and Male Scholar-Athletes of the Year each earning $4,000.

Martin had her best season in a Bluejay uniform in 2025, earning BIG EAST Player of the Year honors before taking home BIG EAST Tournament MVP accolades as well. The four-time All-BIG EAST selection from Overland Park, Kan., was a three-time AVCA All-America pick, earning Second Team accolades following her senior season. Martin was also named a Second Team Academic All-American by College Sports Communicators. She was second overall pick in the 2025 Major League Volleyball Draft. She signed with the Columbus Fury in June after playing her rookie campaign for the Atlanta Vibe.

2025-26 BIG EAST Institutional Female Scholar-Athlete Awards

School	Name, Sport(s)
Butler	Talia Sommer, Soccer
UConn	Molly Rogers, Swimming & Diving
Creighton	Ava Martin, Volleyball
DePaul	Helen Baumgarten, Track & Field
Georgetown	Maja Lardner, Soccer *
Marquette	Cate Downs, Soccer
Providence	Thaea Mouratidis, Soccer
St. John's	Jamora Alves, Track & Field
Seton Hall	Lara Todorovic, Golf
Villanova	Hannah Dickinson, Soccer
Xavier	Natalie Bain, Soccer

* Women's Scholar-Athlete of the Year

2025-26 BIG EAST Institutional Male Scholar-Athlete Awards

School	Name, Sport(s)
Butler	Jesse Hamlin, Track & Field *
DePaul	Alex Bernstein, Track & Field
Georgetown	Zach Zengue, Soccer
Marquette	Justin Juniel, Track & Field
Providence	Richard Joseph, Lacrosse
Seton Hall	Axel Berglund, Soccer
Villanova	Ryan "Coop" Pamer, Golf
Xavier	Aiden Leamer, Swimming & Diving

* Men's Scholar-Athlete of the Year

BIG EAST Female Scholar-Athletes of the Year
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
2022: Maggie Donahue, Georgetown, Cross Country
2023: Julia Leas, Georgetown, Soccer
2024: Julia Leas, Georgetown, Soccer
2025: Kendra Wait, Creighton, Volleyball
2026: Maja Lardner, Georgetown Soccer
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.

BIG EAST Male Scholar-Athletes Of The Year

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
2022	Dante Polvara, Georgetown, Soccer
2023	Will Bowen, Georgetown, Lacrosse
2024	Parker Stokes, Georgetown, Cross Country/Track & Field
2025	Liam Murphy, Villanova, Track & Field
2026	Jesse Hamlin, Butler, 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.

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