UConn teams rack up the awards in 2009

Husky fans had plenty to cheer about this fall:

• four teams combined for a 48-20-6 record,
• several Big East and NCAA tournament berths,
• a yet-to-be played bowl game
• and one conference championship,
• with numerous players earning recognition for individual achievement.

Field Hockey

The field hockey team (19-3) won the Big East crown by beating Syracuse, 2-1, with tournament MVP Loren Sherer scoring the game-winner.

The win gave the Huskies a berth in the NCAA Tournament, where they lost 3-2 to Drexel in the first round.

Sherer’s goal against Drexel broke the UConn single-season records for goals (33) and she also set a school record for points, with 84.

With stats like that, it’s no wonder the senior forward from England was named one of four finalists for the 2009-10 Honda Award for Field Hockey, which recognizes the National Player of the Year.

Sherer was also named to the NFHCA All-America First Team and was the 2009 Big East Offensive Player of the Year.

UConn swept the conference player-of-the year honors when Melissa Gonzalez was named Big East Defensive Player of the Year.

Gonzalez anchored a Connecticut defense that was tops in the BIG EAST in shutouts (seven), goals against average (1.02), defensive saves (six) and scoring margin (2.96). The Huskies held opponents to 153 shots, while allowing only 20 goals.

The team’s victory over Syracuse to win the league crown also marked the 500th career win for UConn head coach Nancy Stevens.

Women’s Soccer

Coincidentally, another women’s team notched a post-season victory to reach the 500 milestone.

The women’s soccer team (11-8-2) beat Boston University, 2-1, in an NCAA first-round game, the 500th for the program.

Since its inception in 1979, the women’s soccer team has posted a 500-154-45 slate good for a 64.7 winning percentage, with coach Len Tsantiris guiding the club to 474 of those wins.

Defensive specialist Brittany Taylor, who scored the game-winner in double OT to beat BU, was named to the NSCAA All-America Third Team.

She was also recognized as the Big East Defensive Player of the Year and was named to the All-BIG EAST First Team, the NSCAA All-Northeast Team, the ECAC First Team and the NEWISA All-New England First Team.

Earlier this week, Brittany was named to the Soccer America MVPs Second Team.

Two other Huskies also earned league honors:

• Linda Ruutu was named to the All-Big East second team and the conference’s all-rookie team

• and Kacey Richards was a league third-team selection.

Boston College ended the team’s season, defeating UConn, 2-0, in an NCAA Tournament second-round game.

Men’s Soccer

The men’s soccer team (11-4-4) never made it to the second-round of their NCAA Tournament; UConn lost to Monmouth in a 4-3 shootout after the teams had played through two overtimes with the game still scoreless.

Five team members made the 2009 Northeast Regional Teams, including first-teamers Kwame Watson-Siriboe and Big East Midfielder of the Year Toni Stahl and second-teamers Tony Cascio and goalie Josh Ford.

Freshman forward Carlos Alvarez was named to the 2009 Soccer America All-Freshman First Team.

Stahl’s scintillating senior season resulted in several post-season honors, including a spot on the All-Big East First Team and also being named a Second Team All-American on three national teams: the NSCAA/Performance Subaru team, the College Soccer News team and the TopDrawerSoccer.com team.

In addition, Stahl has been named a semifinalist for the Missouri Athletic Club’s prestigious Hermann Trophy, which can best be described as college soccer’s Heisman Trophy.

Stahl’s senior teammate Watson-Siriboe also has to clear some space on his mantle, especially for his trophy as the 2009 Big East Co-Defender of the Year.

He was named to the first team on four different post-season all-star teams: the Big East, TopDrawerSoccer.com, the Goal.com and the College Soccer News teams.

Watson-Siriboe, Stahl and fellow senior Mike Pezza all have been invited to the 2010 MLS Combine scheduled for Jan. 8-12 in Fort Lauderdale.

The Huskies gave up only 10 goals this season, the fewest since 1950, en route to winning the league’s Blue Division, but then were unceremoniously ousted from the conference tournament. UConn lost its opening match when underdog Providence prevailed, 1-0, in overtime.

Cross Country

On the cross country paths, the men won the Leopard Invitational held in Lafayette, Penn., thanks to a first-place finish by senior captain Will Sanders of Wethersfield, pushed hard by UConn junior Scott Johnson of Old Lyme who placed second.

The Huskies placed a respectable sixth at the New England Championships when Sanders was the second runner across the line in this meet, one that annually draws the best of New England’s long-distance runners.

For his consistent performances throughout the season, Sanders was named to the 2009 USTFCCCA Northeast All-Region Team.

In women’s cross country , three Huskies finished in the top five in a field of 87 at the Bryant University Cross Country Invitational, paced by sophomore Courtney Dinnan’s first-place finish.

Senior captain Sara Leslie, who hails from Portland, Conn., took third and freshman Kimberly Moran came in fifth.

Dinnan, a Hamden native, also finished first to lead the Huskies to a win at the Fairfield Invitational, which included a strong Yale team among the entrants. In that meet, UConn freshman Megan Jacoby came in a close second, while Leslie and Moran placed in the top 10.

Volleyball

Despite finishing 14-17 this past season, the women’s volleyball team did qualify for the Big East Tournament, but they were beaten by second-place Cincinnati in the opening round.

Junior Rebecca Murray, UConn’s six-foot-two middle hitter, was named to the 2009 All Big East Second Team.

Golf

Sophomore golfer Jeb Buchanan carded three straight scores of 69 to win individual medalist honors at the Adams Cup of Newport.

The team finished the fall season strong, taking the 74th Annual New England Intercollegiate Golf Championship, led by junior Matt Dubrowski and sophomore Matthew Dziubina, each of whom fired a 145.

Dubrowski and Dziubina were both named to the 2009 All-New England Golf team.

Football

The football team (7-5) has one more game to play, of course, as they prepare to take on South Carolina in the Papajohns.com Bowl in Birmingham, Alabama on Jan. 2.

Senior punter and Co-Captain Desi Cullen was named one of 10 semifinalists for the 2009 Ray Guy Award, presented by the Augusta Sports Council to the nation’s top college punter.

Desi has a 43.8-yards-per-punt average this year with a long of 61 yards, and 18 kicks inside the 20.

Junior offensive guard and Waterford High grad Zach Hurd, senior defensive lineman Lindsey Witten and junior linebacker Lawrence Wilson were selected for the Big East Conference First Team.

Earning conference Second Team nods were senior running back Andre Dixon, senior cornerback Robert McClain, junior linebacker Greg Lloyd and sophomore tailback Jordan Todman.

Dixon and Witten have been invited to play for the East team in the East-West Shrine Game on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2010 in Orlando, while Vaughn and senior wide receiver Marcus Easley, the “Stratford Streak,” suit up for the “Nation” team in the Texas vs. The Nation All-Star Challenge on Saturday, Feb. 6, 2010 in El Paso,

Junior cornerback Jasper Howard was posthumously named Honorary Captain of the All-Big East Football Team.

Top Coach

A nod to all the coaching staffs for leading their squads to such competitive seasons and special congratulations to football defensive coach Hank Hughes, who was named “Assistant Coach of the Year” in the Bowl/Championship Divisions by the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston. He has been a member of the UConn coaching staff for nine years, the past five as assistant head coach for defense.

Academic Achievement

Finally, underscoring what UConn is wont to do, namely, put the emphasis on the student in student-athlete, some Connecticut teams received awards for academic prowess.

The golf team has earned 2009 All-Academic honors from the Golf Coaches Association of America and earned recognition from the GCAA for its cumulative team Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0 or better.

The women’s soccer team earned an NSCAA Team Academic Award for posting a 3.23 GPA for the 2008-09 academic year.

And the football program was one of 11 schools nationwide recognized by the American Football Coaches Association for a graduation rate of 90 percent. The award was based on the number of diplomas earned by the freshmen student-athlete class enrolling in 2002, the most recent year for which these stats are available. UConn was the only Big East school among the 11 schools, seven of which are private institutions.

Posted Dec. 19, 2009