Feb. 7, 2001
VILLANOVA, PA-- On Tuesday, Feb. 6, the Big East Conference announced its nominees for the Big East Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award. As nominees, each senior athlete selected as a "Scholar-Athlete" receives $2,000 for post-graduate studies and is also considered for the Big East Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award in each of the four categories, in which case they would receive an additional $2,000.
Four Villanova University student-athletes were named as Big East Scholar-Athletes, making each a nominee for the Big East Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award. Wildcat men's soccer senior Joe Noonan and softball senior Keri Stoller were each named Big East Scholar-Athletes. Receiving Big East Scholar-Athlete status for their work in the classroom and their play on the basketball court were men's basketball senior B.J. Johnson and women's basketball junior Stephanie Baker.
A senior electrical engineering major, Noonan ended his Villanova career with 32 points on 14 goals and four assists for head coach Larry Sullivan and the Wildcat men's soccer team. This past season, he led the team with 10 points, sparking a turnaround from 2-14-0 in 1999 to 6-9-2 in 2000. For his efforts, Noonan was named Co-Player of the Year by the Philadelphia Soccer Seven, as well as the league's Academic Player of the Year. He was drafted by the NPSL's Philadelphia Kixx in January.
A business administration/marketing major, Stoller will begin her final season for head coach Maria DiBernardi and the Wildcats this spring. A co-captain in 2001, she set the school record for best ERA in a season last year at 0.97. Stoller also shares the school record for strikeouts in a game with 14. Following a stellar season in 2000, she was named to the All-Big East second team and the All-Northeast Region second team.
Johnson, a computer science/Chinese major, is in his second and final season as a walk-on for the men's basketball team in 2000-01. He previously serves as manager for the Villanova women's basketball team. On Feb. 6, at the First Union Center against Pennsylvania, Johnson scored his first career basket in an 80-51 win over the Quakers.
A mathematics major at Villanova, Baker is currently in the midst of her junior season for head coach Harry Perretta and the women's basketball team in 2000-01. A member of the Wildcats' WNIT teams in both 1998 and 2000, she was selected to the Big East Summer All-Star Team in 2000. Through her first two seasons on the Main Line, Baker recorded averages of 3.3 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.
