Villanova’s Maddy Siegrist named Big East women’s player of the year for the second straight season

On Thursday, Villanova senior Maddy Siegrist was announced as the Big East women’s Player of the Year for the second year in a row.

Siegrist was projected to win the award in the preseason coaches poll and remained the front-runner throughout the regular season.

Siegrist finished the regular season as the nation’s leading scorer with 29.0 points per game and had a historical run in which she broke numerous school, conference, and City 6 scoring records.

Entering the season, Siegrist was on pace to pass Shelly Pennefather and become Villanova’s all-time leading scorer for men and women. Siegrist set the record on Jan. 20 at Creighton as she reached 2,409 career points to pass Pennefather’s record of 2,408 set in 1987. Since then, Siegrist has gone on to shatter Pennefather’s record as she sits at 2,714.

This was just the first of many records that Siegrist claimed. Siegrist holds the Villanova and Big East single-game scoring records (50) and is the all-time leading scorer in Big East history, men’s or women’s (1,693). Siegrist also passed Drexel’s Gabriela Mărginean’s record of 2,582 points to become the all-time leading scorer in City 6 women’s basketball history.

Siegrist also was named the Big East Scholar-Athlete of the Year for her performance in the classroom. After completing her bachelor of arts degree in communication last year, Siegrist is working toward a master’s in education and holds a 3.88 cumulative GPA. Siegrist will receive a $2,000 scholarship that can be applied to graduate or professional studies for her academic achievement.

Aside from the personal accolades, Siegrist has led Villanova to a program-record No. 11 ranking in the AP Poll and a No. 2 seed in the Big East tournament with an overall record of 26-5, including 17-3 in conference play.

» READ MORE: Villanova climbs to No. 11 in AP women's basketball poll

Sophomore Lucy Olsen also was included in the conference awards, earning an All-Big East second-team nod. Last season, Olsen was named to the All-Freshman team for her strong performance as Villanova’s starting point guard.

This year, Olsen improved in virtually every statistical category. The sophomore averaged 12.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.3 assists while shooting 41.7% from the field, including 38.1% from distance. Olsen also is one of the Wildcats’ top defenders, with a team-high 42 steals.

One of her standout performances came in Villanova’s loss to UConn on Jan. 29 when she recorded 19 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and just three turnovers against two-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year Nika Mühl.