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
Pittsburgh
Matt Baker Soccer Business Administration
Providence
Bryan Minogue Soccer Finance
Rutgers
Jeremy Pennino Track & Field Exercise Science and Sports Studies
St. John’s
Stephen Forster Baseball Criminal Justice
Seton Hall
Matthew Singer Baseball M.A., College Student Personnel Administration
USF
Francisco Aristeguieta Soccer Finance
Syracuse
Jeff Scull Cross Country/Track & Field M.S., Exercise Science
Villanova
Daniel Lewis Cross Country/Track & Field Economics
West Virginia
George Farquhar Swimming & Diving Civil Engineering
BIG EAST Male Scholar-Athletes Of The Year
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