Student-Athlete of the Year

Senior captain of the national championship football team Osayi Osunde was named the 2009 CAA Football Student-Athlete of the Year. The linebacker, who is working toward his masters in  human resource development, has a grade point average of 3.96.

Osunde, a native of Bloomsburg, Pa., was a three-time All-CAA selection during his four years playing on the Main Line. 

This includes being named a first-team All-CAA selection after the 2008 season. 

He headlined a list of 106 conference athletes who met the standards required to be named a CAA Football Academic All-Conference honoree. In order to be eligible, the player has to start or take the role of a significant reserve and maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0. 

Transfer students are ineligible until they have finished a full academic year. 

Osunde was voted Student-Athlete of the Year by the 12 information directors from this past season. 

 

Lacrosse picked fourth

 

The men’s lacrosse team was picked fourth in the inaugural Big East preseason poll behind last year’s national champion Syracuse, Notre Dame and Georgetown. This is the first time lacrosse has participated in the Big East conference. 

The Wildcats are coming off a very successful 2009 season during which they earned an automatic bid to the tournament after winning the CAA. They fell to Virginia in the opening round and finished 11-6 overall. 

Syracuse stole most of the preseason honors, being named the unanimous preseason league favorites. The Orange’s Stephen Keogh was named preseason Attack Player of the Year. Six Orange players were named to the 2010 preseason All-Big East team. 

 

Women’s track makes the poll

 

For the first time this season, the women’s track and field team has made an appearance in the polls. The Wildcats currently sit 12th in the latest USTFCCCA Coaches Poll released on Tuesday. 

The team had one of its best weeks in recent memory after a great performance at the NYRR Saturday Night at The Armory II. Sheila Reid and Bogdana Mimic both ran automatic NCAA qualifying times in the 3,000-meter run. Reid currently holds the fastest time in the nation for the same event. 

 

Another 20-win season

 

With the victory over Seton Hall on Tuesday, the men’s basketball team once again reached the 20-win plateau, marking the 35th time in school history. 

This is the sixth straight year in which Jay Wright’s Wildcats have made it to 20 wins, strengthening the school record. 

This is the fastest Villanova has ever reached the mark, beating out the 2005-’06 squad that opened the year 20-2. 

The team has been on quite a run, extending its winning streak to 11 games. The last time Villanova won more than 11 consecutive games was back in 1964 when the team put together a 13-game streak, which still stands as the school’s longest. 

 

Home cooking

 

Men’s basketball stretched its winning streak in the Pavilion to an impressive 36-straight wins on Tuesday to extend the school record. While the Wildcats play their biggest competition at the Wachovia Center, that doesn’t discredit the accomplishment. The streak began in 2007 with a crushing victory over Notre Dame. The team has one game left in the Pavilion against USF.