NEW YORK—Villanova thrower Jack Judge (Palisades, N.Y.) was named the winner of a BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete Excellence Award in an announcement made by the conference office on Tuesday afternoon.  Judge is the award winner for men's outdoor track & field for the combination of his academic achievement and his accomplishments during a strong season of competition. 
 
Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Awards are presented to one student-athlete from each of the 22 sports sponsored by the BIG EAST.  The award recognizes academic and athletic achievements, as well as community service.  In order to be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must have reached junior academic standing and have a minimum grade-point average of 3.0.  The winners are chosen by the BIG EAST Faculty Athletics Representative Council.
 
Judge embodied all of the above criteria during his collegiate career.  He was a two-time BIG EAST champion in the javelin and placed first or second at the conference championships in his signature event for four straight years.  Judge qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary meet in each of the last two seasons and became the Wildcats first men's thrower in a decade to advance to outdoor regionals. 
 
The list of highlights for Judge's senior season this spring include being named the BIG EAST Men's Field Athlete of the Week after the opening week of the outdoor season when he threw for 63.59 meters at the Penn Challenge.  It represented the second-best mark of Judge's career; his personal best throw of 65.28 meters set during his junior year puts him third on the program's all-time performance list in the javelin. 
 
In addition to his own success, Judge was a leader of a Villanova throwing group which has been on a consistent upward trajectory in recent seasons.  During his four years on the team, the Wildcats scored in every outdoor throwing event (shot put, discus, hammer, javelin) at each of the last four BIG EAST meets. 
 
Judge was equally successful in his academic pursuits and graduated this spring as a Political Science major.  He was named to the BIG EAST All-Academic Team in each of the last three seasons and will earn the honor for a fourth straight year when this year's team is announced next month.  Judge also was a two-time All-Academic selection by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).