Completed Event: Men's Track and Field at BIG EAST Championships on February 27, 2026 ,
Men's Track and Field
at BIG EAST Championships
Final
Providence College Athletics
Rocha BIG EAST Male Scholar-Athlete Of The Year; Murphy Named Institutional Female Scholar-Athlete
7/28/2021 2:09:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Softball
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The BIG EAST Conference released its BIG EAST Male and Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year winners today [July 28]. In addition to the league's Scholar-Athlete of the Year honorees, the conference also announced its BIG EAST Institutional Scholar-Athlete award winners. Providence College men's track and field student-athlete Marcelo Rocha (Peabody, Mass.) was named the BIG EAST Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year and an Institutional Male Scholar-Athlete Award winner, while softball's Julia Murphy (Pittsfield, Mass.) was named an Institutional Female Scholar-Athlete Award winner. For their selections, Rocha will receive $4,000 and Murphy will receive $2,000 toward graduate studies.
Rocha was also the recipient of the BIG EAST Sport Excellence award in Cross Country as he boasts a 3.98 cumulative undergraduate GPA as an environmental biology major. Rocha will continue his education at Providence College pursuing an MBA. As a senior in 2020-21, Rocha finished ninth (28:58.92) in the 10,000-meter run semifinals in the regional rounds of the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships to automatically advance to the national finals in Eugene, Ore. With his finish he received All-America honorable mention. At the 2021 BIG EAST Outdoor Track & Field Championships Presented by JEEP, he placed fourth in the 5K.
Off the track, Rocha was a member of the Providence Dean's List and Athletic Director's Honor Roll. He was also one of the Friar student-athletes honored as a member of the 2021 BIG EAST All-Academic Team. Rocha was a member of Chi Alpha Sigma honor society and graduated Summa Cum Laude. An active participant in the Providence College community, Rocha participated in the PC Thanksgiving drive and Adopt-A-Family.
Murphy appeared in 34 games for the Friars, pitching a combined 58.1 innings. She has recorded a 4.20 ERA over her career, with 24 strikeouts. She served as President of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) and was the Diversity Committee Chair for the Board of Programmers. She spearheaded the Friars United Week Initiative, which promoted allyship, anti-racism, LGBTQ+ inclusivity and anti-xenophobia to help strengthen the ties that bind our Friar Family. Murphy also served as a student representative on the Athletics Sub-Committee for the Providence College COVID-19 Continuity Task Force, providing insight and perspective on the student-athlete. Her high achievements also translate into the classroom as Murphy has been a three-time honoree on the BIG EAST All-Academic Team.
The full list of BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete award winners are below:
BIG EAST Overall Scholar-Athlete Award Winners
Female Winner – Aspasia Avgeri (DePaul, Women's Tennis)
Male Winner – Marcelo Rocha (Providence, Men's Track & Field)
2020-21 BIG EAST Institutional Male Scholar-Athlete Awards
2020-21 BIG EAST Institutional Female Scholar-Athlete Awards
Rocha was also the recipient of the BIG EAST Sport Excellence award in Cross Country as he boasts a 3.98 cumulative undergraduate GPA as an environmental biology major. Rocha will continue his education at Providence College pursuing an MBA. As a senior in 2020-21, Rocha finished ninth (28:58.92) in the 10,000-meter run semifinals in the regional rounds of the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships to automatically advance to the national finals in Eugene, Ore. With his finish he received All-America honorable mention. At the 2021 BIG EAST Outdoor Track & Field Championships Presented by JEEP, he placed fourth in the 5K.
Off the track, Rocha was a member of the Providence Dean's List and Athletic Director's Honor Roll. He was also one of the Friar student-athletes honored as a member of the 2021 BIG EAST All-Academic Team. Rocha was a member of Chi Alpha Sigma honor society and graduated Summa Cum Laude. An active participant in the Providence College community, Rocha participated in the PC Thanksgiving drive and Adopt-A-Family.
Murphy appeared in 34 games for the Friars, pitching a combined 58.1 innings. She has recorded a 4.20 ERA over her career, with 24 strikeouts. She served as President of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) and was the Diversity Committee Chair for the Board of Programmers. She spearheaded the Friars United Week Initiative, which promoted allyship, anti-racism, LGBTQ+ inclusivity and anti-xenophobia to help strengthen the ties that bind our Friar Family. Murphy also served as a student representative on the Athletics Sub-Committee for the Providence College COVID-19 Continuity Task Force, providing insight and perspective on the student-athlete. Her high achievements also translate into the classroom as Murphy has been a three-time honoree on the BIG EAST All-Academic Team.
The full list of BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete award winners are below:
BIG EAST Overall Scholar-Athlete Award Winners
Female Winner – Aspasia Avgeri (DePaul, Women's Tennis)
Male Winner – Marcelo Rocha (Providence, Men's Track & Field)
2020-21 BIG EAST Institutional Male Scholar-Athlete Awards
| School | Name, Sport(s) |
| Butler | (No winner this year, although Kamar Baldwin won the MBB Scholar-Athlete) |
| UConn | Omar Gebril, Indoor Track & Field |
| Creighton | John Sakowski, Baseball |
| DePaul | Fran Tonejc, Tennis |
| Georgetown | Jake Carraway, Lacrosse |
| Marquette | Joseph Keys, Outdoor Track & Field |
| Providence | Marcelo Rocha, Outdoor Track & Field |
| St. John's | Matthew Forster, Soccer |
| Seton Hall | Andreas Nota, Soccer |
| Villanova | Jaydn Anczarski, Outdoor Track & Field |
| Xavier | Alex Sironen, Swimming & Diving |
2020-21 BIG EAST Institutional Female Scholar-Athlete Awards
| School | Name, Sport(s) |
| Butler | Stephanie Rodriguez, Soccer |
| UConn | Melina Couzis, Soccer |
| Creighton | Naomi Hickman, Volleyball |
| DePaul | Aspasia Avgeri, Tennis |
| Georgetown | Jenna Menta, Soccer |
| Marquette | Emma Moravec, Outdoor Track & Field |
| Providence | Julia Murphy, Softball |
| St. John's | Gretchen Bowie, Softball |
| Seton Hall | Cristina Fernandez, Cross Country |
| Villanova | Paige Rauch, Softball |
| Xavier | Morgan Tinsley, Golf |
Players Mentioned
P
/ Softball
Distance
/ Men's Track and FieldFriday, April 12
