Dear Supporter of Villanova Athletics,

During last night's men's basketball game against Georgetown, BIG EAST Commissioner Val Ackerman presented Villanova with the President’s Award for the second straight year. This prestigious honor from the conference reflects the ongoing success that Villanova has had in athletics, academics and community service.

While our men’s basketball team’s impressive run to capture the 2016 NCAA national title received the most attention, there were several other highlights that contributed to earning this honor for the second year in a row:

Athletics Success

• Women’s swimming & diving won and men’s indoor track & field each won their third consecutive BIG EAST titles
• Women’s cross country and volleyball made the NCAA Tournament, and the women’s basketball team tallied a fourth straight 20-win season and played in the WNIT

Academic Success

• 302 selections to the BIG EAST All-Academic Team
• In the spring 2016 semester, all 24 varsity teams had a GPA greater than 3.0 and the overall GPA of our student-athletes (3.26) surpassed a 3.0 for the 26th consecutive semester

Community Service

• In all, our student-athletes performed more than 3,000 hours of community service
• Our student-athletes participated in the annual St. Thomas of Villanova Day of Service and all 24 varsity teams are active volunteers in the annual Special Olympics Fall Festival held on campus
• Other service initiatives include the annual Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service and regular trips to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to visit with patients there

As I look back on the accomplishments of the last year, I am encouraged that 2016-2017 is building on last year’s momentum. Patrick Tiernan became the second men’s runner in school history to win the individual NCAA cross country title, and he also became the first athlete in BIG EAST history to win four consecutive individual conference championships. Our men’s soccer team had one of its best seasons in history and was selected to play in the NCAA Tournament for the first time. The men’s football team made the FCS playoffs for the sixth time in the last nine years and our men’s basketball team has returned to the top of the national rankings.

These achievements are a reflection of the tireless efforts of Villanova student-athletes, coaches and staff, but a key component of that success is the support they receive from fans like you. I can speak for our student-athletes and coaches when I say that your enthusiasm is one of the driving forces behind these numerous accomplishments.

As always, thank you for your passionate support of Villanova Athletics. Our success as an Athletic Department would not be possible without the year-long support of our alumni, fans and friends of all 24 varsity programs. Thank you for all that you do, and I hope to see you at one of our upcoming home events.

Go Cats!