NEW YORK -- Villanova University senior forward Maddy Siegrist was today named the 2022-23 BIG EAST Women's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Siegrist becomes the first Wildcat since Courtney Mix in 2003-04 to earn the honor and just the second overall. The selection was made by the Conference's Academic Awards Selection Committee. Siegrist will receive a $2,000 scholarship, which may be applied to graduate or professional studies.
 
Currently pursuing her Master's in Education and a teaching certificate, Siegrist carries a 3.88 cumulative grade point average. She already earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication in December of 2021 and plans to get into coaching following a professional playing career. She has been named to the Dean's List and Athletic Director Honor Roll every semester of grad school and carried a 4.0 GPA in the spring and summer semesters.
 
On the court, Siegrist continues to be one of the top players in the country. She has led Villanova to a 26-5 overall record and a 17-3 BIG EAST Conference mark by leading the country in scoring at 29.0 points per game to go with a 9.1 rebounds per contest average. She is currently shooting 51.6 percent from then field (333-of-645), 38.4 percent from three-point range (48-of-125) and 84.5 percent from the foul line (185-of-219).  Siegrist has scored 20 or more points in all 31 games this year, including 13 games of 30 points or more. Her best effort of the season came against Seton Hall on Feb. 11 when she tallied 50 points on 20-of-26 shooting.   
 
Siegrist became the all-time leading scorer in the history of Villanova basketball this season for both men and women (currently has 2,714 points), in addition to becoming the all-time leading scorer in BIG EAST Conference history for men and women with 1,693 points for regular season conference games only.
 
The BIG EAST Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year award is one of a number of scholarships presented by the BIG EAST Conference during the 2022-23 academic year. In addition, 22 student-athletes (one male and one female from each of the BIG EAST's 11 member institutions) will receive postgraduate scholarships as the winners of their respective institutions' Scholar-Athlete Award. The winners of the institutional awards are then eligible for the BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, which provides an additional postgraduate scholarship to one male and one female student-athlete.
 
Siegrist and the No. 11 ranked Villanova Wildcats will be the 2-seed in the upcoming BIG EAST Tournament. Villanova will play the winner of the DePaul/Providence game on Saturday, March 4, at 7 p.m.