University of New Hampshire Athletics
Athlete Awards
44
Francesca Picicci
- Award:
- Athletes of the Week
- Week:
- 6/17/2022
- Sport:
- Women's Soccer
- Bio:
- View Full Bio
The Jim Urquhart Student-Athlete of the Year award, which has been the most prestigious student-athlete award at UNH since its inception in 1999, is given to both the most outstanding female and male senior student-athlete based on athletic success, community involvement and academic achievement through their Wildcat careers.
It is named in memory of longtime UNH coach Jim Urquhart, who coached the New Hampshire men's lacrosse team for 17 years and wrestling team for 11 seasons before taking the position of Associate Director of Event Management in 1997.
In five years with the women’s soccer program, Francesca Picicci has been a team leader – two-time captain – who has received numerous accolades in recognition of her athletic and academic excellence. She is a two-time America East All-Academic Team selection and three-time America East Commissioner’s Honor Roll member who has also been named to the United Soccer Coaches Scholar East Region Second Team and inducted into Chi Alpha Sigma, the National College Athlete Honor Society.
Picicci has also been named to the America East All-Conference First Team and Second Team and All-Rookie Team, and was selected to the NEWISA Senior Bowl.
As a senior in the 2021 season, Picicci led UNH in goals (six), game-winning goals (three), points (13) and shooting percentage (.214). On the conference leaderboard, she tied for fourth in both goals and game-winning goals, and also ranked ninth in points.
Picicci fueled UNH’s late-season surge as the Wildcats went 4-1-0 in the last five regular-season games to set the stage for a run to the conference championship game. She recorded a career-high five points with two goals and an assist at Stony Brook University and followed that with two more goals vs. UMBC. Picicci continued that strong play into the postseason and was named to the America East All-Championship Team following the conclusion of the tournament.
The truncated Spring 2021 season was the catalyst to her outstanding 2021 season. In the Spring 2021, Picicci was atop UNH’s points leaderboard by tying for the team lead in both goals and assists. She ranked fourth in the conference in points per game as well as tied for third in assists and tied for fourth in goals.
As a freshman in the 2017 season, Picicci ranked fourth on the team in both goals and points and scored the game-winning goal against both Army West Point and UAlbany; she played all 18 matches with 11 starts. Picicci had seven starts in 13 matches as a sophomore before that 2018 season ended prematurely for her with an injury. She returned to see action in all 18 games as a junior in 2019.
Picicci has a 3.76 cumulative grade-point average in pursuit of a degree in Kinesiology: Exercise Science. She is a recipient of UNH’s Robert Kertzer Scholarship, which is awarded to an exercise science student whose commitment to excellence is demonstrated in and out of the classroom and lab.
Picicci was a four-year member of UNH’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Her other extracurricular activities included: member of the Pre-Physician Assistant Student Organization; Convenient MD COVID-19 tester at UNH; President of Association of Exercise Science Students; volunteer on the medical and surgical floor at Portsmouth Regional Hospital; and emergency room volunteer at St. Joseph’s Hospital (Bethpage, N.Y.).
It is named in memory of longtime UNH coach Jim Urquhart, who coached the New Hampshire men's lacrosse team for 17 years and wrestling team for 11 seasons before taking the position of Associate Director of Event Management in 1997.
In five years with the women’s soccer program, Francesca Picicci has been a team leader – two-time captain – who has received numerous accolades in recognition of her athletic and academic excellence. She is a two-time America East All-Academic Team selection and three-time America East Commissioner’s Honor Roll member who has also been named to the United Soccer Coaches Scholar East Region Second Team and inducted into Chi Alpha Sigma, the National College Athlete Honor Society.
Picicci has also been named to the America East All-Conference First Team and Second Team and All-Rookie Team, and was selected to the NEWISA Senior Bowl.
As a senior in the 2021 season, Picicci led UNH in goals (six), game-winning goals (three), points (13) and shooting percentage (.214). On the conference leaderboard, she tied for fourth in both goals and game-winning goals, and also ranked ninth in points.
Picicci fueled UNH’s late-season surge as the Wildcats went 4-1-0 in the last five regular-season games to set the stage for a run to the conference championship game. She recorded a career-high five points with two goals and an assist at Stony Brook University and followed that with two more goals vs. UMBC. Picicci continued that strong play into the postseason and was named to the America East All-Championship Team following the conclusion of the tournament.
The truncated Spring 2021 season was the catalyst to her outstanding 2021 season. In the Spring 2021, Picicci was atop UNH’s points leaderboard by tying for the team lead in both goals and assists. She ranked fourth in the conference in points per game as well as tied for third in assists and tied for fourth in goals.
As a freshman in the 2017 season, Picicci ranked fourth on the team in both goals and points and scored the game-winning goal against both Army West Point and UAlbany; she played all 18 matches with 11 starts. Picicci had seven starts in 13 matches as a sophomore before that 2018 season ended prematurely for her with an injury. She returned to see action in all 18 games as a junior in 2019.
Picicci has a 3.76 cumulative grade-point average in pursuit of a degree in Kinesiology: Exercise Science. She is a recipient of UNH’s Robert Kertzer Scholarship, which is awarded to an exercise science student whose commitment to excellence is demonstrated in and out of the classroom and lab.
Picicci was a four-year member of UNH’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Her other extracurricular activities included: member of the Pre-Physician Assistant Student Organization; Convenient MD COVID-19 tester at UNH; President of Association of Exercise Science Students; volunteer on the medical and surgical floor at Portsmouth Regional Hospital; and emergency room volunteer at St. Joseph’s Hospital (Bethpage, N.Y.).
Date | Athlete | Sport |
|---|---|---|
| 9/29/2025 | Nicole Poulakis | Field Hockey |
| 9/29/2025 | Matt Vezza | Football |
| 9/22/2025 | Ruth White | Women's Cross Country |
| 9/22/2025 | Chase Wilson | Football |
| 9/15/2025 | Kathelijne Knuttel | Field Hockey |
| 9/15/2025 | Scott Williams | Men's Soccer |
| 9/10/2025 | Ricshya Walker | Women's Soccer |
| 9/10/2025 | Nick Reed | Football |
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Thursday, September 04
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