"PROVIDENCE, R.I. – University of Pittsburgh volleyball standout Meagan Dooley, the 2009 BIG EAST Player of the Year, has been chosen as the 2009-10 BIG EAST Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The selection was made by the Conference’s Academic Affairs Committee.

A senior from West Chester, Ohio, Dooley 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 Female Scholar-Athlete awards. Each institutional winner receives $2,000 toward graduate studies. Dooley is the fourth Pittsburgh student-athlete to be named Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year and the first since former track and field standout Najuma Fletcher was named in 1996.
 
Dooley is one of the most decorated volleyball players in BIG EAST history. In addition to her selection as the 2009 BIG EAST Player of the Year, Dooley was an All-America Third Team pick of the American Volleyball Coaches Assocation. She earned All-BIG EAST honors four times and finished the 2009 season as the BIG EAST leader in blocks (1.71 per set) and points (4.94 per set). She set Pittsburgh’s single-season blocks record (168) and finished her career in second place on the Panthers’ career blocks chart (519).

Dooley, who holds a 4.00 grade-point average as a liberal studies major was an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America First Team selection in 2009 and is a three-time BIG EAST All-Academic pick. She plans to pursue a master’s field of study in special education.

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 Female Scholar-Athlete Awards
Cincinnati
Jasmine Cotten    Track & Field        Psychology  

Connecticut
Phylicia George    Track & Field    Biological Sciences

DePaul
Terah Cheatham    Track &  Field    Biological Sciences

Georgetown
Katharine Thompson    Rowing    French  

Louisville
Tarah McKay    Cross Country/Track & Field    Health & Human Performance

Marquette
Katie Miller    Soccer    Marketing and Human Resources

Notre Dame
Cosmina Ciobanu    Tennis    Pre-Professional Studies/Anthropology

Pittsburgh
Meagan Dooley    Volleyball    Liberal Studies

Providence
Katelyn Revens    Softball    Management

Rutgers
Erin Guthrie    Soccer    History

St. John’s
Renee Cloutier    Golf    Speech Pathology & Audiology

Seton Hall
Melissa Bellomy    Volleyball    Biochemistry

USF
Marcela Gurgel    Volleyball    Physical Education

Syracuse
Christina Dove    Lacrosse    Accounting & Finance

Villanova
Nicole Schappert    Cross Country/Track & Field    Marketing

West Virginia
Kimberly Benda    Rowing    Animal and Nutrition Sciences

BIG EAST Female Scholar-Athletes Of The Year
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 Cuntry/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
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