At the conclusion of each academic year, the BIG EAST Sport Excellence Awards are presented to a student-athlete in each BIG EAST-sponsored sport based on academic record, athletic distinction or achievement, and community volunteerism. Student-athletes who have achieved junior academic status and have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.00 are eligible. Winners are selected by the BIG EAST Faculty Athletics Representative Council.
Since the award’s inception in the 2009-10 academic year, Villanova has produced a total of 45 Sport Excellence Award winners. This includes 21 honorees in the last five years alone, with at least three honorees recognized in each of those years since 2019-20. Mitchell is the Wildcats’ first field hockey student-athlete to receive the honor, while Villanova’s track and field and cross country program has had both a male and female student-athlete selected in three of the last four years.
While the format of the awards allows for only one declared winner in each sport category, selecting recipients each year presents a challenge for the FAR Council because the nominees represent exceptional student-athletes who excel in academic, service and athletic achievements and are outstanding representatives of their schools and the conference. Villanova is one of three BIG EAST members to receive at least three Sport Excellence Awards in 2023-24.
Below are profiles of the three Wildcats award winners.
Liam MurphyMen’s cross country
Murphy is a five-time All-American and holds five school records, four of which were set in a five-month period from December 2023 to April 2024. He has excelled at both the collegiate and national levels, most recently making it to the finals in the 1500 meters at this year’s U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Murphy is Villanova’s all-time record holder in the 3000 meters (7:42.51) and holds indoor school records in both the mile (3:53.85) and 5000 meters (13:21.20), as well as being part of the records in the medley and 4xMile relay.
As a cross country runner, Murphy was named the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Mid-Atlantic Athlete of the Year each of the past two seasons. This honor represents his highest finish at the NCAA Championships among athletes from the Mid-Atlantic Region; he was also the individual champion at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional in 2022 and 2023 and won the BIG EAST individual crown last year. Murphy earned his first cross country All-America honor with a 14th place at last season’s NCAA championships.
Murphy is studying communications and was named one of two Villanova Senior Student-Athletes of the Year this year. He has been selected to the BIG EAST All-Academic Team three times and has been named to the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll three times for maintaining a semester GPA of 3.2 or higher.
Roshell ClaytonWomen’s outdoor athletics
Clayton is a three-time All-American high jumper, earning top-8 finishes at the NCAA level both indoors (tied for sixth) and outdoors (tied for fifth) during the 2024 collegiate season. Earlier this summer, she competed on home soil at the Jamaica National Senior Championships, where she became a silver medalist in the high jump at the country’s Olympic qualifying events.
In addition to her two first-team All-America honors this year, Clayton captured the BIG EAST titles in the indoor and outdoor high jump and was the Penn Relays champion. In February, she set the all-time Villanova high jump record of 6 feet 2 inches in Boston and tied that mark a month later at the NCAA Indoor Championships at the same venue. In June, Clayton set a school record in the outdoor high jump (6 feet 2 inches) at the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
Clayton graduated from Villanova one semester early with honors in December 2023, earning her bachelor’s degree with a major in communications. She is currently pursuing her MBA at the Villanova School of Business. Clayton is a four-time member of the United States Track & Field and Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic Team and the BIG EAST All-Academic Team. She was the 2024 PhillySIDA Academic All-Area Women’s Track & Field Performer of the Year and was selected as one of two 2023-24 Villanova Senior Student-Athletes of the Year. Clayton was named to the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll in all eight semesters she spent on campus.
Meghan MitchellField hockey
Mitchell is one of four field hockey players in Villanova history to earn All-America status after being named to the NFHCA All-America second team for the 2023 season. Last year, she was the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year and earned her fourth consecutive All-BIG EAST and Mid-Atlantic All-Region honors. Mitchell earned BIG EAST and Mid-Atlantic first-team laurels in 2023, was named to the NFHCA Senior Team and earned weekly BIG EAST honors five times during the year.
Entering the 2024 season, Mitchell ranks fifth in school history in career points (108), sixth in career goals scored (44) and tied forth in assists (20). She has eight multi-goal games in her career, including two hat tricks, and scored 16 of her career goals in the 2023 season, where she recorded 38 points (16 goals, six assists) and scored a team-high five game-winning goals. Mitchell became the first Wildcats player since 2008 to score at least five game-winning goals in a season, while her career total of nine game-winning goals is sixth-highest on the Villanova record list.
Mitchell is majoring in finance and was named to the BIG EAST All-Academic Team and the NFHCA National Academic Squad for the first four years of her college career. She was also a member of the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll for all eight semesters she spent on campus and was named the 2023-24 PhillySIDA Academic All-Area Performer of the Year.
