Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/12/16
From Press Release
The BIG EAST Conference has announced the winners of the 2015-16 BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Awards, which recognize academic and athletic achievement as well as community service. Temple lacrosse’s Jaqi Kakalecik, recently graduated and headed to Temple Medical School in the fall, was named the recipient for BIG EAST Lacrosse.
The Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Awards are given to one student-athlete in each BIG EAST-sponsored sport based on academic credentials, athletic accolades or performances and volunteer service to the community. Student-athletes who have attained junior academic standing and a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.00 are eligible. The winners are chosen by the BIG EAST Faculty Athletics Representative Council.
As a biochemistry major, Kakalecik graduated from the Temple honors program with a GPA of 3.87 and was named the PNC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year at Temple’s annual Celebration of Champions. She is a two-time All-BIG EAST Second Team honoree, and was named to the IWLCA All-Region Second Team at the conclusion of her senior season in goal for the Owls. Kakalecik also recently played in the IWLCA North/South Senior All-Star Game. For a second time in her career, she was named this year to the Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Lacrosse Team.
The list of 22 honorees includes 16 seniors, three juniors and three graduate students. Fourteen of the winners competed in the NCAAs in their respective sports this past year. Fifteen were or have been BIG EAST Players of the Year or Individual BIG EAST Championship winners. DePaul, Marquette and St. John’s each had three student-athletes make the list; Georgetown, Providence, Seton Hall, Villanova and Xavier had two; Butler, Creighton and Temple, an affiliate member in women’s lacrosse, had one.
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