WASHINGTON – Three Georgetown student-athletes have been named winners of the BIG EAST Sport Excellence Award, as announced on Thursday. Maggie Donahue (women's cross country), Maya Drayton (women's indoor track & field) and Julia Leas (women's soccer) all earned the honor, which recognizes academic and athletic achievement as well as community service. Additionally the men's swimming & diving team was the recipient of the BIG EAST Team Academic Excellence Award on Wednesday.
 
The 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.
 
The Team Academic Excellence Awards go to the team that compiled the highest collective grade-point averages in each conference sport. The winners were chosen based on the 2022-23 grade-point average of each student-athlete who appeared on an institution's roster as of the last contest of the championship segment in each conference-sponsored sport.
 
MAGGIE DONAHUE, BIG EAST SPORT EXCELLENCE AWARD - WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY

• Earned All-BIG EAST honors and named All-Mid-Atlantic Region following a pair of runner-up performances during the cross country season.
• Her performances at both the BIG EAST and regional meets helped the Hoyas win both team titles.
• Named an All-American during the 2022 cross country season after finishing 21st at the NCAA Championships. It marked her third-straight All-America honor in cross country following her NCAA performances in 2021 (22nd) and 2020 (32nd).

 
MAYA DRAYTON, BIG EAST SPORT EXCELLENCE AWARD - WOMEN'S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD

• Maya Drayton was crowned champion at the BIG EAST Indoor Track & Field Championships in the 400m with a time of 54.44. Drayton took second in the 200m with a time of 24.11 to earn All-BIG EAST honors in both events.
• Drayton was a part of the 4x400 relay team that took fourth-place with a time of 3:47.44.
• Was a member of the women's distance medley relay team that earned a spot in the NCAA Championships after qualifying with a time of 10:54.18 to set a new school record at the Alex Wilson Invitational. The squad took fifth place at the NCAA Championships, earning All-America status and propelling the Blue & Gray into a tie for 34th overall in the team standings.

 
JULIA LEAS, BIG EAST SPORT EXCELLENCE AWARD - WOMEN'S SOCCER

• Leas graduated in the winter of 2022 with magna cum laude honors, earning 2022 United Soccer Coaches First Team Scholar All-America accolades.
• On the field, Leas capped her 2022 campaign recognized as a semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy and a United Soccer Coaches First Team All-American.
• Leas helped lead the Hoyas to both a BIG EAST regular season and conference title, Leas was unanimously picked as the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year.

 
MEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING, BIG EAST TEAM ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AWARD

• The Hoyas became back-to-back BIG EAST Champions at the 2023 championships.
• The Hoyas earned the highest GPA in the conference with a 3.524.
• During the 2022-23 season, the team was selected as a Scholar All-America Team by the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of American (CSCAA).