NEW YORK (December 8, 2023) – Georgetown University has been named the winner of the BIG EAST Presidents’ Award for the 2022-23 academic year. The conference honor, which was established by the league’s Presidents in 2015, is awarded to the BIG EAST institution that has excelled at the highest levels in academics, athletics and citizenship during the preceding academic year. 

A selection committee of athletic and academic administrators from each BIG EAST institution selected Georgetown for the award. Each nominating school provides the selection committee with comprehensive information that highlights its accomplishments in all three areas.
 
“BIG EAST schools have long effectively combined academic and athletic success with active involvement in their communities, and we congratulate Georgetown's student-athletes for their exceptional performance in all of these areas during the 2022-23 school year," said BIG EAST Commissioner Val Ackerman. "We commend President Jack DeGioia, Lee Reed, and Georgetown's outstanding coaches and administrators for their commitment to develop all sides of Hoya athletes and to equip these extraordinary young people to be contribute meaningfully to society when their playing days come to a close."
 
“It is an honor for our University to receive this award. Each year, our students demonstrate an extraordinary commitment to their academic and athletic pursuits and a deep dedication to service and engagement in our broader communities,” said Georgetown President John D. DeGioia. I wish to congratulate our students and our Athletics Department for receiving this special recognition.”

"Once again being the recipients of the BIG EAST Presidents' Award is a testament to the leadership of President DeGioia and our Board of Directors," said Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Lee Reed. "This recognition exemplifies what it means to be a Georgetown student-athlete. We continually strive towards the excellence that this award represents exhibiting these qualities on the playing field, in the classroom and within the community. I am immensely proud of our student-athletes, coaches and administrators for their commitment to our mission."

The following are the highlights of Georgetown’s excellence in academics, athletics and citizenship for the 2022-23 academic year.

Academics – As a group, Georgetown student-athletes compiled a 98 percent graduate rate, which tied the Hoya athletic department record and ranked sixth nationally.

Individually, Georgetown won the BIG EAST Male and Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards. The male winner was Will Bowen, a defender on the men’s lacrosse team. He graduated with a 3.82 grade point average as a business major and was a College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America First Team selection. On the field, Bowen was named second team All-America by the U.S. International Lacrosse Association (USILA).

The female winner was Julia Leas, a member of the women’s soccer team. A magna cum laude graduate with a 3.94 GPA as a psychology major, Leas was a U.S. Soccer Academic All-America First Team selection. On the pitch, she was the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year last fall and a semifinalist for the prestigious MAC Hermann Trophy.

In addition to Bowen, female cross country runners Maggie Donahue and Sami Corman also earned CSC Academic All-America honors. Donahue made the Second Team and Corman was named to the Third Team. Twenty-one Georgetown student-athletes were named CSC Academic All-America All-District.

The Georgetown men’s swimming and diving team won the BIG EAST Team Excellence Award for compiling the highest collective GPA among league schools in a specific sport.

Team Athletic Accomplishments – In the Learfield Directors’ Cup Final Standings, which is compiled by school finishes at NCAA Championships, Georgetown ranked 67^th, which was first in the BIG EAST and fifth nationally among all-non-FBS institutions.

The Hoyas captured nine NCAA Championship berths and 24 student-athletes earned all-America recognition. Georgetown won four BIG EAST Championships – women’s soccer, women’s cross country, men’s lacrosse and men’s swimming and diving. The Hoyas also earned three regular-season crowns – men’s soccer, women’s soccer and men’s lacrosse. Sixteen student-athletes won BIG EAST individual titles and 14 were BIG EAST major award winners. They also had 146 competitors selected to All-BIG EAST Teams.

The men’s soccer team advanced to the NCAA Round of 16 after winning the BIG EAST regular-season crown and advancing to the BIG EAST Championship final. The Hoyas were ranked as high as No. 2 in the national polls during the season.

The women’s soccer team did not lose in BIG EAST play, compiling an 8-0-2 record. The Hoyas won the league regular-season and championship titles en route to an overall mark of 15-2-5. They advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championship. The Hoyas finished 10^th in the final TopDrawerSoccer’s national rankings.  

The women’s cross country squad won the league title on the strength of two All-America runners, Maggie Donahue and Sami Corman. Five runners earned All-BIG EAST honors.

The men’s swimming and diving team won its second straight BIG EAST title. They also put together a 6-2 record in dual meets. The Hoyas captured 15 medals at the Championship, which included three gold, six silver and six bronze. Twenty-four competitors earned All-BIG EAST recognition.

The men’s lacrosse team won the BIG EAST regular-season and championship titles. They advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals for the 11^th time in program history. Faceoff Specialist James Reilly became only the 12^th player in NCAA history to amass 800 faceoff wins and the eighth player to have 500 career ground balls.
Citizenship –- During the 2022-23 academic year, Georgetown coaches, staff and student-athletes were active in various leadership, service and DEI initiatives. 
 
The Hoya Fall Formation welcomed all incoming student-athletes to spend time learning from the returning student-athletes who serve as group leaders and mentors. Team captains also engaged in monthly programming with the executive director of the Cooper Athletic Leadership program to develop their leadership skills and discuss how to solve problems amongst their peers.
 
The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) held monthly community gatherings with guest speakers and team building and community activities.  Two new student-athlete affinity groups were launched:  Hoyos, which serves women student-athletes, and Q&A, which serves LGBTQ+ student-athletes.   Hoyos hosted a community gathering during Black History Month. 
 
The Black Student-Athlete Coalition also held community events throughout the year to further their mission.  For Black History Month, the group sponsored a Black History trivia night that was supported by local Black-owned businesses.  A lunch for Juneteenth was also hosted for all student-athletes and staff, with the day used to support a local Black-owned business that has been a longstanding staple of D.C. culture.
 
Finally, more than 30 student-athletes participated in Grassroots Health programming in D.C. that taught middle school students about nutritional, sexual and mental health.
 
The BIG EAST:
The BIG EAST Conference is an association of 11 nationally prominent colleges and universities that foster healthy athletic competition, community service and the pursuit of excellence in academic environments.  The BIG EAST-sponsored athletic programs of our institutions provide national-caliber participation opportunities for more than 3,800 student-athletes on over 200 men’s and women’s teams in 22 sports.  Established in 1979 and headquartered in New York City, the BIG EAST’s members are located in eight of the country’s top 38 largest media markets and include Butler University, University of Connecticut, Creighton University, DePaul University, Georgetown University, Marquette University, Providence College, St. John’s University, Seton Hall University, Villanova University and Xavier University.  For more information, visit www.bigeast.com.