WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – For the second-straight season, senior
Katie Connolly from the University of Hartford women's soccer team was named to the (College Sports Information Directors of America) CoSIDA Academic All-District 1 Team, the organization announced on Thursday.
With Connolly's award, the Hawks have now landed at least one Academic All-District recipient in each of the last five years. She becomes the fourth repeat recipient of the award in program history, joining Caitlin Alves (2011, 2012),
Emma Donnelly (2013, 2014, 2015) and Katharina Lindner (2011, 2002).
Academic All-District honorees advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America Team ballot, where first-, second- and third-team honorees will be selected next month.
The honor from CoSIDA comes just one day after Connolly received a pair of all-conference awards from the America East. On Wednesday, she was named to the America East All-Conference Second Team in addition to earning her second-straight spot on the America East All-Academic Team.
On the pitch, Connolly has played an instrumental part in leading the Hawks to their third-straight America East Regular-Season title. She has started in all 17 of Hartford's matches this season and has contributed to each of the Hawks' conference-leading eight shutouts as a defender.
With Connolly on the back line, Hartford has posted a 0.92 goals-against average, a mark that leads the America East. During her career, she has been a part of 33 clean sheets.
Inside of the classroom, Connolly has been just as impressive during her career. She is one of three All-District I Team members with a perfect 4.0 grade-point average, joining UConn's Emily Armstrong and Brown's Katy Schmidt.
As a psychology major, she has been an America East Commissioner's Honor Roll member (3.5+ GPA) in each of her three seasons. In addition, she has earned a spot on the America East's Elite 18 Team in each of the last two seasons.
Connolly and the Hawks earned the No. 2 seed in the upcoming America East Championship, and will host the winner of No. 3 Stony Brook/No. 6 Vermont in a semifinal match on Sunday, Oct. 30 (2 p.m.). The squad has been hot as of late, going 7-1-1 in its last nine, including a 6-1-1 finish in America East action.
The semifinal match will be broadcast live on AmericaEast.TV.
