Simonsen Named BIG EAST Freshman of the Year, Oluwaseyi Earns All-Rookie Spot

Following a standout debut regular season for the Red Storm, Skage Simonsen has accomplished something not achieved by a St. John's player in more than two decades. The BIG EAST announced on Friday afternoon that Simonsen has been named the BIG EAST Freshman of the Year in addition to earning a spot on the All-BIG EAST Second Team and a unanimous selection to the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team. Teammate Tani Oluwaseyi has also been recognized by the league's coaches, finding a place on the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team.

Simonsen becomes just the third player in program history and the first since Wojtek Krakowiak in 1996 to be named the conference's top freshman. That year, Krakowiak, an eventual MAC Hermann Trophy winner, tallied 11 goals and 14 assists to help the Red Storm to its first national championship.

Simonsen, the first player in program history to earn Second Team All-BIG EAST honors or better as a freshman, is currently tied for the team lead in goals (6), assists (4) and points (16) entering postseason play. The 6-foot-3 midfielder scored four of his six tallies against BIG EAST opposition, good enough for the third-highest total in the league when looking exclusively at conference play.

With six goals on the season, Simonsen posted the highest total by a St. John's freshman in more than a decade. A Red Storm rookie last found the back of the net more often in 2006, when Ryan Soroka tallied nine goals and eight assists to help lead the Johnnies to a BIG EAST Championship. Overall, Simonsen is tied for the highest single-season goal total by a St. John's player since the College Cup season of 2008.

With Oluwaseyi also earning an all-freshman spot, this season marks the first time since 2010 that St. John's placed a pair of on the league's all-rookie squad.

Oluwaseyi, one of the league's most explosive offensive talents, burst onto the stage for the Red Storm in 2018. The Mississauga, Ont., native has four goals and two assists on the season, good enough for third on the team in points behind Simonsen and Matt Forster. After posting two goals and two assists in the team's opening three games, Oluwaseyi found the back of the net twice during conference play. He opened the scoring in each of the Red Storm's games against Creighton and Villanova, the latter of which resulted in a crucial BIG EAST point for the Johnnies and helped clinch the program's second-straight and 27th overall BIG EAST Tournament berth.

Oluwaseyi and Simonsen form the first pair of Red Storm freshmen to score four or more goals apiece in the same season since 2004, when Andrei Gotsmanov recorded nine goals and Steven Old chipped in four more.

The winningest team in the history of the BIG EAST Tournament, St. John's will kick off postseason action tomorrow night, traveling to Providence for a rematch with the third-seeded Friars.

BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year
Sven Koenig, Creighton, Sr., F

BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year
Dylan Nealis, Georgetown, Jr., D

BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year
Joel Rydstrand, Creighton, Sr., M

BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year
Luis Barraza, Marquette, Sr., GK

BIG EAST Freshman of the Year
Skage Simonsen, St. John's, Fr., M

BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year
Creighton

All-BIG EAST First Team
Sven Koenig, Creighton, Sr., F*
Derek Dodson, Georgetown, So., F
Achara, Georgetown, Jr., F
Simen Hestnes, Xavier, Sr., M
Joel Rydstrand, Creighton, Sr., M
Tiago Mendonca, Providence, R-Jr., M
Luka Prpa, Marquette, Jr., M
Akeem Ward, Creighton, Sr., D
Dylan Nealis, Georgetown, Jr., D
Patrick Seagrist, Marquette, Jr., D
Luis Barraza, Marquette, Sr., GK

All-BIG EAST Second Team^
Connor Alba, Marquette, Jr., F
CJ Tibbling, Seton Hall, Fr., F
Sam Sergi, Xavier, R-Jr., F
Skage Simonsen, St. John's, Fr., M
Kyle Zajec, Georgetown, Sr., M
Zach Zandi, Villanova, Sr., M
Brendan McDonough, Georgetown, Sr., D
Mitch LaGro, Creighton, R-Sr., D
Klisman Sousa, Providence, R-Sr., D
David Arvidsson, Seton Hall, Grad., D
Colin Miller, Providence, R-Sr., GK
Paul Kruse, Creighton, Fr., GK

BIG EAST All-Freshman Team
Lukas Sunesson, Marquette, Fr., F*
CJ Tibbling, Seton Hall, Fr., F*
Gil Santos, Providence, Fr., F
Skage Simonsen, St. John's Fr., M*
Jack Haywood, Butler, Fr., M
Sean Zawadzki, Georgetown, Fr., M
Ramzi Qawasmy, Providence, Fr., D
Paul Kruse, Creighton, Fr., GK*
Giannis Nikopolidis, Georgetown, Fr., GK
Taylor Crull, Xavier, R-Fr., D
Tani Oluwaseyi, St. John's Fr., F

*unanimous selection
^extra player added due to a tie in voting

St. John's University Athletics

Simonsen Named BIG EAST Freshman of the Year, Oluwaseyi Earns All-Rookie Spot

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Tani Oluwaseyi

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