PROVIDENCE, R.I. – University of South Florida men’s soccer standout Francisco Aristeguieta has been chosen as the 2009-10 BIG EAST Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The selection was made by the Conference’s Academic Affairs Committee.

A senior from Caracas, Venezuela, Aristeguieta will receive a $4,000 scholarship, which may be applied to graduate or professional studies. The Conference also announced the winners of the institutional 2009-10 BIG EAST Male Scholar-Athlete awards. Each institutional winner receives $2,000 toward graduate studies. Aristeguieta is the second consecutive USF soccer player to be named Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year, following 2009 winner Zak Boggs.

Aristeguieta was an All-Northeast Region Third Team selection of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America in 2009 after he helped the Bulls to 14-4-3 overall record and a 6-3-2 mark in BIG EAST play. He started 20 games and had three assists for USF, which advanced to the second round of the 2009 NCAA Championship.

A three-time team captain, Aristeguieta also played a key role in the Bulls’ 2008 run to the NCAA tournament quarterfinals. He had two goals and two assists in 2008, helping USF win the BIG EAST tournament title for the first time.

Aristeguieta, who holds a 3.94 grade-point average as a finance major, has been a member of the Beta Gamma Sigman honor society since 2008 and was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Team. He is a four-time selection to the BIG EAST All-Academic Team.

The BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete of the Year award is one of a number of scholarships presented by the BIG EAST Conference during the 2009-10 academic year. Thirty-two student-athletes (one male and one female from each of the BIG EAST’s 16 member institutions) receive postgraduate scholarships as the winners of their respective institutions’ Scholar-Athlete Awards. The conference also names male and female Basketball Scholar-Athletes of the Year and a Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

 

2009-10 BIG EAST Institutional Male Scholar-Athlete Awards

Cincinnati
Josh Schieder    Swimming & Diving    Finance   

Connecticut
John Hogan    Swimming & Diving    Resource Economics

DePaul
Nathan Feltz    Soccer    Finance   

Louisville
Steve Hnat    Track & Field    Health & Human Performance

Marquette
Mark Rutherford    Tennis    Finance/Economics

Notre Dame
John Lytle    Swimming & Diving    Finance