The Western Connecticut State University Athletic Department is proud to present its Top-10 stories from the 2019-20 academic year.

Throughout the summer of 2020, we will bring you the Top-10 list, compiled by a cast of department administrators. 

Our first honor, #10, begins with a group of the prestigious academic accomplishments.  There are so many that we have to use #10 and #9 to present the long list of honors bestowed upon our student athletes this past year.

Stay tuned as we intend on counting down to #1 with weekly announcement.
 
ANDREW SCHIMANSKI NAMED TO CO-SIDA ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA SECOND TEAM

Western Connecticut State University junior offensive lineman Andrew Schimanski (Torrington, CT) has been named to the 2019 Academic All-America® Team, selected by CoSIDA, on Wednesday.  

The 2019 Academic All-America® Football Team, selected by CoSIDA, recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. The CoSIDA Academic All-America® program separately recognizes football honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.

The Political Science major is the only student-athlete in District 2 of NCAA Division III to have a perfect 4.0 grade-point average.

During the spring of 2019, Schimanski spent a semester studying abroad in Germany, with a concentration in advanced topics in Political Science and Sociology.

Schimanski primarily lines up as the right tackles for WestConn.  The WestConn offense averaged 30.5 points and 393.9 total offensive yards through 11 games.  The Colonials were among the league's best with 268.4 passing and 125.5 rushing yards per contest this season.

Earlier, Schimanski was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team.

The Colonials finished the 2019 season with an 8-3 overall record and were 6-2 in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference.  They made their first-ever appearance in the New England Cup Series this past fall.
 
FIELD HOCKEY'S SHANNON LYNCH RECIPIENT OF HENRY BARNARD DISTIGUISHED STUDENT AWARD
 Western Connecticut State University senior Shannon Lynch (Sandy Hook, Conn.) is one of two recipients of this year's Henry Barnard Distinguished Student Award for their outstanding academic achievement, on-campus participation and dedication to community involvement. Each year, up to 12 graduating seniors enrolled in Connecticut state universities (Central Connecticut State University, Eastern Connecticut State University, Southern Connecticut State University and WCSU) are presented with the prestigious award.

Lynch has pursued studies in the sciences and is being recognized for their academic pursuits and community involvement endeavors.

Lynch a participant in the WCSU Kathwari Honors Program is a resident of Sandy Hook who received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing during a virtual commencement this past weekend. In addition to her status as a Kathwari Honors student, she is a member of the Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honors Society; Chi Alpha Sigma, the National College Athlete Honors Society; and was a member of the National Field Hockey Coaches All-Academic Team in 2016-18.  Lynch also was a member of the Little East Conference All-Academic Team in 2017-19. While at WCSU, she was an Academic Resource Mentor in Newbury and Fairfield residence halls. She also served as a Peer Tutor for fellow Nursing students, and held a job at the university's Career Success Center.

As part of her Nursing education, Lynch participated in clinical rotations at Danbury Hospital, Waterbury Hospital and Yale-New Haven Hospital. She has incorporated Psychology courses into her studies that she plans to utilize in her nursing practice, and believes in quality control and assurance in health care. Lynch's next step is to attend graduate school to become a Family Nurse Practitioner or Neonatal Nurse Practitioner. She recently accepted a full-time RN position in a NNICU in the area.

Lynch said, "My time at WCSU taught me more than I ever could have imagined. My professors challenged me and encouraged me to be my best — for my patients, my colleagues and my community. My coaches motivated me to persevere and rise against all odds. My classmates taught me how to have fun and keep an open mind. There are hundreds of lessons I learned in four years, and for that I am forever grateful."
Lynch continued, "I'd love to thank my field hockey coach Dani McDonnell, my nursing professors and my parents — I couldn't have done it without them!"

Erika Wahlers, from Holmes, N.Y. and a Music Education major is the other 2020 Barnard honoree.
 
13 COLONIALS NAMED TO 2019 ZAG FIELD HOCKEY/NFHCA NATIONAL ACADEMIC SQUAD
Thirteen members of the Western Connecticut State University field hockey team have been named to the 2019 Zag Field Hockey/NFHCA Division III National Academic Squad.  This year, 1,943 student-athletes from 157 Division III institutions earned recognition on the coveted list of honorees.

The 2019 honorees appear below, they are listed alphabetically.  WestConn's Shannon Lynch (Sandy Hook, Conn.) and Carly Matasavage (Middlebury, Conn.) have received National Academic Squad recognition for four years have been marked with an asterisk.

The Division III National Academic Squad program honors student-athletes who have achieved a cumulative grade-point average of 3.3 or higher through the first semester of the 2019-2020 academic year.
 

Western Connecticut State University
Kimberly Brower	Mahopac, N.Y.
Samantha Burns	New Milford, Conn.
Catherine Costa	Danbury, Conn.
Samantha Dultz	Belvidere, N.J.
Wanjiru Gatheru	Danbury, Conn.
Helen Heyse	Norwich, Conn.
Shannon Lynch*	Sandy Hook, Conn.
Carly Matasavage*	Middlebury, Conn.
Madison McColl	Rutland, Mass.
Olivia Moore	New Preston, Conn.
Sara Reseska	Bethel, Conn.
Mia Schumey	West Hartford, Conn.
Nora Swift	Brookfield, Conn.

 
WESTCONN'S CATHERINE COSTA AND OLIVIA MOORE NAMED TO 2019 ZAG FIELD HOCKEY/NFHCA SCHOLARS OF DISTINCTION

Western Connecticut State University sophomores Catherine Costa (Danbury, Conn.) and Olivia Moore (New Preston, Conn.) have been named to the 2019 Zag Field Hockey/NFHCA Division III Scholars of Distinction.  Costa and Moore join 319 other student-athletes have been recognized on the coveted list of honorees.

Following this past fall's semester, Costa, a Nursing major, had a 3.94 cumulative grade-point average while Moore completed her third straight 4.00 GPA semester as a Health Promotion Studies-Allied Health major.
This past season, the Colonials went 15-5 overall and 10-2 in the Little East Conference, both program bests.

The Division III Scholars of Distinction program recognizes student-athletes who have achieved a cumulative grade-point average of 3.9 or higher through the first semester of the 2019-20 academic year.
 
WESTCONN EARNS 2019 ZAG FIELD HOCKEY/NFHCA NATIONAL ACADEMIC TEAM HONORS

The National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) is proud to announce that the Western Connecticut State University field hockey team is among 147 programs to earn the 2019 Zag Field Hockey/NFHCA Division III National Academic Team Award.

The Division III National Academic Team Award recognizes programs that earned a team grade-point average of 3.0 or higher during the fall semester of the 2019-2020 school year.

The full list of National Academic Team Award honorees is below in alphabetical order. A collection of past award winners can be found here.
 
40 COLONIALS NAMED TO THE 2019 MASCAC ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM

A total of 1,224 student-athletes have been honored by the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference with selection to the league's Fall/Winter 2019 All-Academic Team that was released earlier today by Commissioner Angela Baumann.  A total of 40 Western Connecticut State University football student-athletes were honored on the coveted list.

Student-athletes who compete in championship varsity sports offered by each of the MASCAC institutions during the course of the Fall and Winter 2019 athletic season and have achieved a 3.20 cumulative or semester-based grade point average during the semester are eligible for selection to the Fall/Winter All-Academic Team. 
 

WESTCONN
Student-Athlete	Cl.	Major	Hometown/High School
Matthew Abbate	Jr.	Justice and Law Administration	Tolland, CT/Tolland
Justin Appleby	Jr.	Justice and Law Administration	Trumbull, CT/Trumbull
Jonathan Bachmann	Fr.	Business Administration	Port Jefferson, NY/Earl Vandermeulen
Elijah Brooks	Jr.	Management	Southbury, CT/Pomperaug
Brady Callahan	Fr.	Accounting	Plainville, CT/Plainville
Zoilo Carmona	Fr.	Justice and Law Administration	Bronx, NY/Cardinal Spellman
Azaam Castellano	Fr.	Exploratory Studies	New Fairfield, CT/New Fairfield
Xavier Castro	Fr.	Exploratory Studies	Flushing, NY/St. Francis Prep
Andrew Colletti	Fr.	Finance	Selden, NY/Centereach
Michael DeRenzis	Fr.	Exploratory Studies	Valhalla, NY/Archbishop Stepinac
Michael DiCostanzo	Fr.	Business Administration	Wilton, CT/Wilton
Matthew Forti	Fr.	Justice and Law Administration	Bronx, NY/Cardinal Spellman
Jonathan Fox	So.	Biology	Lagrange, NY/Arlington
Jason Friia	Fr.	Health Promotion Studies	Port Jefferson, NY/Comsewogue
Nicholas Gambino	Fr.	Secondary Education	Lake Ronkonkoma, NY/Sachem North
Riley Gardner	So.	Political Science	Bolton, CT/Bolton
Lucas Gifford	So.	Business Administration	Gansevoort, NY/South Glens Falls
Norris Gipson	Jr.	Health Promotion Studies	Middletown,  NY/Middletown
Meki Howell-Browne	Fr.	Exploratory Studies	Mount Vernon, NY/Cardinal Spellman
Shane Hutchinson	Jr.	Justice and Law Administration	Hartford, CT/Cheney Tech
Kieran Kelly	Fr.	Management	Middle Village, NY/St. Francis Prep
Aleksander Kocaqi	Sr.	Interdisciplinary Studies	Rocky Hill, CT/Rocky Hill
Ariza Kolloverja	So.	Exploratory Studies	Bristol, CT/Bristol Eastern
Elias Koukoulis	Fr.	Psychology	Bellmore, NY/WC Mepham
Kyle Martin	So.	Business Administration	Cromwell, CT/Cromwell
Michael Matich	Fr.	Justice and Law Administration	Floral Park, NY/Floral Park Memorial
Travis O'Neill	So.	Exploratory Studies	Middletown, NY/Middletown
Luke Pappalardo	So.	Psychology	Newington, CT/Newington
Colin Pawlak	So.	Secondary Education	Wolcott, CT/Wolcott
Troy Pomykala	Fr.	Management	New Egypt, N.J./New Egypt
Ryan Sahle	Jr.	Secondary Education	Stormville, NY/Carmel
Vincent Scancarello	Jr.	Management	Monroe, NY/Monroe-Woodbury
Andrew Schimanski	Jr.	Political Science	Torrington, CT/Torrington
Vincent Sementilli	Sr.	Health Promotion Studies	Milford, CT/Jonathan Law
Austin Thornberg	Sr.	Anthropology/Sociology	East Haven, CT/East Haven
Brian Tucker	So.	Biology	Greenville, NY/Christian Brothers Academy
Thomas Walsh	Sr.	Exploratory Studies	Great River, NY/St. Anthony's
Justin Witherspoon	Sr.	Exploratory Studies	Waterbury, CT/Holy Cross
Xavier Wright	Fr.	Business Administration	North Stonington, CT/Norwich Tech
David Youngquist	Fr.	Justice and Law Administration	Shelton, CT/Shelton