Shannon Connolly has helped build the UConn women’s ice hockey program from its infancy as a varsity program to becoming a nationally-ranked team.

Connolly returned from a season-ending injury in February of her junior year to have a stellar senior season.

The forward finished the 2004-05 season with 23 points, third-highest on the team, and played in all 36 games. She scored seven goals, five of which were on the power play, and ranked second in assists with 16.

As a tri-captain, Connolly led the Huskies with a plus-10 in-ice rating and completed the season with only six minor penalties.

She finished her career with 20 goals and 38 assists for 58 total points. Her career assists and points figures rank third all-time in school history. Connolly completed her career with double-figure points in three of four seasons while playing in a total of 127 games.

A native of Baldwinsville, N.Y., Connolly is a two-time member of the Hockey East All-Academic team. She graduates this spring with a degree in elementary education and currently has an overall grade point average of 3.564.
 

Outstanding Senior Scholar-Athlete
April V. Garner
Women’s Track & Field
Temple Hills, Md.

Senior women’s track and field co-captain April Garner has enjoyed success academically as well as on the track throughout her career at UConn.

In her senior indoor season this past winter, Garner was the individual champion in two events at the New England Championships as she won the 200-meter dash in 24.38 seconds and took first in the 55-meter hurdles with a time of 7.85 seconds. The following week she was named the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Track Athlete of the Week.

At the 2004-05 BIG EAST Indoor Championship, Garner broke her own school record in the 60-meter hurdles, finishing third in the preliminaries with a time of 8.38 seconds.

As a junior, Garner took first place in the 100-meter hurdles at the first meet of the outdoor season, the Miami Invitational, with the fourth-best mark all-time at UConn (14.19) and she set a school-record time of 13.60 in the semis of the 100-meter hurdles of the ECAC Championships where she placed third. Garner won the 55-meter hurdles at the New England Championships as a junior and capped off her indoor season with an ECAC Championships title in the 60-meter hurdles.

Her sophomore season, Garner qualified for the NCAA Regional Competition in the 100-meter hurdles. During the indoor season, she consistently placed in the top four in the 55-meter hurdles and earned second place at the New England Championships

In her freshman outdoor season, Garner was a member of the New England Champion 4x100-meter relay team. The 4x100-meter relay team also finished second at the ECAC Championship with a school-record time of 45.38. As a freshman in the 2001-02 indoor season, Garner was New England Champion in the 55-meter hurdles and posted seven top-five finishes in the sprint hurdles during the season. She was also a member of the New England Champion 4x200-meter relay team.

A native of Temple Hills, Md., Garner is a physical therapy major at UConn. She has an overall grade point average of 3.413.
 

Outstanding Senior Scholar-Athlete
Kristen M. Graczyk 
Women’s Soccer
Albuquerque, N.M.

Kristen Graczyk had a remarkable career as a Husky and leaves the University of Connecticut with her name throughout the school record books. Graczyk was named NSCAA/adidas Third Team All-America in 2003 and 2004 and is a three-time First Team All-BIG EAST honoree.

In her career, Graczyk became only the ninth player in UConn women’s soccer history to record 100 points and finished her career third all-time with 146. The forward is tied for third all-time in games played with 99, second in goals at 57, and ranks eighth in assists with 32. Twenty-two of her career goals proved to be game winners and she has led the team in scoring every season at UConn.

Last season, Graczyk was named 2003 BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year after leading the league in almost every offensive category. In 2003, she was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team after leading the Huskies to the Women’s College Cup Final, and helped the Huskies to two BIG EAST Championships and three regular season conference titles. Graczyk’s other career honors include 2003 and 2004 Soccer Buzz Northeast Region Player of the Year, 2003 Soccer America MVP, 2003 Soccer Times Second Team All-American, and 2001 BIG EAST All-Rookie. A native of Albuquerque, N.M., Graczyk will be graduating with a degree in sports marketing and currently has an overall grade point average of 3.263.
 

Outstanding Senior Scholar-Athlete
Melissa A. MacDougall
Lacrosse
Baldwinsville, N.Y.

Melissa MacDougall was the steady physical presence that the UConn women’s lacrosse team needed to fortify its defense for the past four years. What MacDougall did was never flashy – she scored just two goals and had two assists in 61 career games played – but it was necessary for the ever-growing Husky program as it continues its development.

MacDougall’s nose for the ball led her to rank fourth in Husky history with 153 career ground balls, including a career-high 42 as a senior in 2004. Her durability while playing the position with a rugged methodology was unquestioned as her 61 career games played are just one short of equaling the school record, while her 58 career starts are the third most by any Husky all-time. MacDougall also helped UConn by controlling 79 draws over her career and causing 78 turnovers. MacDougall’s hard work was not without recognition though as she earned first-team All-BIG EAST honors as a senior in 2004.

From her freshman year on, she also made just as impressive of an impact in academic settings. She became a fixture on the Dean’s List and Athletic Director’s Honor Roll. MacDougall was named a BIG EAST Academic All-Star every year of her career. The Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association also maintains a prestigious honor roll for juniors and seniors with at least a 3.5 GPA and MacDougall made this cut each year she was eligible. She was one of the leaders of a UConn team that has never finished outside of the top three nationally in team GPA since the IWLCA started handing out academic merit awards. The women’s lacrosse team not only has the finest academic record on the UConn campus, but also, in 2003 and 2004, only Stanford was consistently better on a national stage.

A native of Baldwinsville, N.Y., MacDougall received a degree in biology from UConn. She was a Dean’s List student every semester and graduated with a 3.701 grade point average. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in the Neag School of Education.
 

Outstanding Senior Scholar-Athlete
Abby P. Ostruzka
Field Hockey
Riverside, Conn.

Abby Ostruzka established herself as one of the best defensive players in the history of the UConn field hockey program.

She was the key cog in UConn’s defense that ranked No. 1 nationally in 2004 while only allowing an average of 0.57 goals per game over 22 contests, including 13 shutouts.

The 2004 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year, Ostruzka was a two-time BIG EAST First Team choice and was recognized as BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week three times in her collegiate career, including two times last season.

Ranked second on the squad and 17th nationally with 12 assists, Ostruzka was also a factor for the Huskies on the offensive end. One of the team’s captains, Ostruzka went on to earn First Team All-America honors as a senior and was a four-time National Academic Squad selection.

Ostruzka also was recognized as a back-to-back All-Mideast Region choice as a junior and senior.

UConn advanced to the NCAA tournament in three of her years at UConn, including a trip to the quarterfinals in 2003. The Huskies also won three BIG ESAT regular season championships during her career and two conference tournament titles.

A Dean’s List student, Ostruzka earned her undergraduate degree in special education from UConn in the spring of ’04 and had a final grade point average of 3.5. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in education and has a 3.8 grade point average in that program.
 

Outstanding Senior Athlete
Ashley M. Battle
Women’s Basketball
Pittsburgh, Pa.

Ashley Battle closed out her UConn women’s basketball career as the program’s all-time leader in games played at 149 and ranks as one of the top defensive players the program as seen.

The 2003 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year, Battle became the 27th player in UConn history to record 1,000 career points. The slashing guard passed the milestone in dramatic fashion as she entered the final home game of the 2005 regular season just 23 points shy of the mark and responded by scoring exactly that number against Pittsburgh – with the clincher coming on a three-pointer with just 2:04 remaining in regulation. She finished with a total of 1,054 points during her collegiate career.

Battle ranks ninth on the UConn career steal list with 191 posted double-figure points on 44 occasions during her career, including 10 times during her senior campaign.

Battle was a member of a senior class that boasted a mark of 132-13 (.910) and won three national championships during their tenure in Storrs.

A native of Pittsburgh, Pa., Battle is a business major at UConn.
 

Outstanding Senior Athlete
Jordan A. Burke
Golf
Baltic, Conn.

The men’s golf program has seen a resurgence over the past two seasons under the guidance of Ron Dubois and Jordan Burke has been front-and-center for those dramatic improvements.

Burke transferred from Methodist College in Fayetteville, N.C. and was used sparingly in 2002-03. Burke came back for the 2003 fall season and, with a full summer’s worth of golfing under his belt, was UConn’s top player. He was chosen for the Husky lineup in all six tournaments and led the squad with a 74.9 stroke average with a low round of 68. He showed a flash of brilliance at The McLaughlin where he tore up Bethpage Red with a 68-69-70 tournament, tying for fourth overall with a three-under-par 207. The strong showing was just a prelude from what loomed a month later at the New England Championship. Burke brought home medalist honors with a 146 (71-75), finishing two strokes ahead of his nearest competitor. He helped UConn to a third-place finish in the fall event, the team’s best since 1995.

This past fall, Burke, matched his career-low 74.9 season average, as the UConn golf team won the team titles at both the New England Championship and the Quinnipiac Bobcat Invitational. Burke was the medalist at Quinnipiac as UConn won two fall tournaments for the first time since 1998. The New England title was UConn’s first outright in the fall season since 1982, only a few months after Burke’s birth.

A native of Baltic, Conn., Burke is majoring in marketing at UConn.
 

Outstanding Senior Athlete
Alfred W. Fincher  Football
Norwood, Mass.

Alfred Fincher, scarcely recruited out of high school, developed through hard work into the rock that UConn needed as the core of its defense at middle linebacker, helping the team to a 23-13 record in its first three years at the elite Division I-A level, and a victory in the 2004 Motor City Bowl.

A team tri-captain in 2004, and the only one selected from the defensive unit, Fincher was the nation’s sixth leading tackler with 11.67 per game. His 140 total stops by far led the BIG EAST and earned him first-team All-Conference recognition, helping UConn lead the BIG EAST in both total and passing defense during its inaugural campaign in the BCS league.

He showed a knack for play at his best in UConn’s biggest games throughout his career and during this past fall in particular. He was named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week after making 17 tackles in UConn’s landmark win over Pittsburgh on Sept. 30. The victory came in UConn’s first home BIG EAST game, a sold-out contest that also served as Rentschler Field’s first night game and UConn’s home national television debut. He topped that effort with a career-high 21 stops in UConn’s next game, a tussle with nationally-ranked West Virginia. He capped his career in style by making nine tackles and an interception in the Motor City Bowl win over Toledo. Fincher received UConn’s defensive game ball in four of the team’s eight wins on the year.

Fincher started each of his last 29 career games and leaves the UConn program ranked sixth in career tackles (357) and fourth in career tackles for loss (35.5). After the season, he became the first Husky to ever play in the prestigious Senior Bowl.

A native of Norwood, Mass., Fincher is a sociology major at UConn.
 

Outstanding Senior Athlete
Lauren N. Henderson
Field Hockey
Avondale Harare, Zimbabwe

Lauren Henderson enjoyed a tremendous senior campaign in 2004 for the UConn field hockey team which saw her close out her career as the program’s all-time leader in both goals (97) and points (213).

The nation’s second leading scorer in 2004, Henderson also broke the UConn single-season goal record with her total of 31. She was named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season after notching nine multiple-goal efforts last season.

Henderson was a key factor in UConn’s run to the third 20-win season in school history. The high-scoring forward earned first-team All-America honors for the second consecutive season and was recognized an All-Mideast Region selection for the fourth-straight season. Henderson is the 10th multiple All-America selection in the history of the UConn field hockey program.

Henderson tallied five game-winning goals as a senior and 19 in her career. She was honored as BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week 10 times in her collegiate career and is a four-time All-BIG EAST First Team selection.

UConn advanced to the NCAA tournament in three of her years at UConn, including a trip to the quarterfinals in 2003. The Huskies also won three BIG EAST regular season championships during her career and two conference tournament titles.

A native of Avondale, Zimbabwe, Henderson is a sociology major at UConn.
 

Outstanding Senior Athlete
Zahra A. Jalalian 
Women’s Soccer
Auburn, Wash.

Zahra Jalalian was called upon throughout her University of Connecticut career to shut down the opposition’s leading scorers and offensive threats with her strong defensive abilities. The midfielder/defender started all but three games of the last three seasons, and played in 91 games overall as a Husky to rank 12th all-time.

She anchored the UConn backline the majority of the last two seasons but also contributed upfront when needed. Over her career, Jalalian scored seven goals, including three game winners, and five assists for 18 career points.

Her career recognitions as a senior include Third Team All-BIG EAST, Soccer Buzz Third Team All-Northeast Region, NSCAA/adidas First Team All-Northeast and First Team All-New England. Jalalian also was named to the 2003 NEWISA All-New England Team. A native of Auburn Wash., Jalalian will be graduating with a degree in molecular and cellular biology.
 

Outstanding Senior Athlete
Tyler N. King
Football
North Attleboro, Mass.

Tyler King’s impact on UConn as a senior in 2004 is most easily summed up by his being named the Huskies’ defensive MVP in a vote of his teammates despite playing in less than half of the regular season games. A ferocious defensive end with a motor that never stops, King appeared in only six games in 2004 (including the Motor City Bowl) yet still made enough of an impact to earn an invitation to several postseason all-star games and the NFL’s Scouting Combine after the season.

Through five games, King led the BIG EAST in tackles for loss and ranked first amongst all BIG EAST defensive linemen in total tackles. The end of the fifth game was a bittersweet one for King and many of his teammates as the senior defensive end broke his leg in the waning moments of UConn’s historic 29-17 victory over Pittsburgh at sold out Rentschler Field, UConn’s first ever BIG EAST win. The epitome of someone who played every down like it was his last, King earned a game ball from the Pittsburgh game after making six tackles with 1.5 tackles for a loss and half a sack, while also recovering a fumble.

Players valiantly stepped up their play in the wake of his absence, but his pass-rushing presence in particular was often irreplaceable. UConn’s defense yielded an average of 271.2 yards last fall in the games that King played in and 383.8 in the six games that he did not. His return for the Motor City Bowl was a triumphant one as he was a disruptive force throughout UConn’s 39-10 win over Mid-American Conference Champion Toledo. King was named the UAW (United Auto Workers) Lineman of the Game for his efforts in the Motor City Bowl in which he played as tough as the daily tasks of rank-and-file members of the group that sponsors the prize. It perfectly capped a career in which he made 167 tackles, including 19 sacks and a total of 40 tackles for loss to rank third in UConn annals.

A native of North Attleboro, Mass., King is a political science major at UConn.
 

Outstanding Senior Athlete
William J. Monaghan
Men’s Swimming & Diving
New Fairfield, Conn.

Bill Monaghan came to the UConn men’s swimming and diving program as a relative unknown and leaves the team as a four-time All-BIG EAST Conference performer and a finalist at the United States Open.

Monaghan holds the school record for the 200-yard butterfly and is part of the record holding team in the 400-yard and 800-yard freestyle relay teams. He owns top 10 all-time bests in six events at UConn.

Monaghan was named UConn’s Most Outstanding Freshman Swimmer, the team’s Most Improved Swimmer as a sophomore and junior and Most Outstanding Swimmer as a senior. He served as a team captain in his senior year.

He led the UConn team to a third place finish at the United States Open in December of ’04 – the highest finish in a national meet ever by the Huskies. He helped lead the 400-yard free relay team to a third-place finish and the 400-yard medley relay team and the 800-yard free relay team to fourth place finishes.

In BIG EAST competition, Monaghan earned all-league honors in 2002 in the 800-yard freestyle relay, in 2003 in the 400-yard freestyle relay and this past year in both the 400-yard freestyle and 800-yard freestyle relays as the Huskies finished third in each event.

A native of New Fairfield, Conn., Monaghan has been honored as a BIG EAST Academic All-Star during his career. He is a sociology major at UConn.
 

Outstanding Senior Athlete
Jessica A. Moore
Women’s Basketball
Palmer, Alaska

Jessica Moore was a model of consistency throughout her UConn women’s basketball career. She capped her Connecticut tenure ranked second on the program’s career games played list at 145. Moore posted a career field goal percentage of .584, which ranks third all-time among UConn’s leaders.

She was recognized as a member of the 2004 All-Final Four Team after scoring 14 points and nine rebounds vs. Tennessee is the 2004 national championship game — a majority of which she played after suffering a torn ACL in her knee.

A perennial top performer in the postseason, Moore was also selected to the 2003 NCAA East Regional All-Tournament Team and was chosen to the 2003 and 2005 BIG EAST All-Tournament squads.

Moore became the 24th player in UConn history to hit the 1,000-point milestone and ended her career with 1,223 career points. She also ranks among the top shot blockers in the program’s history with 125 – which ranks eighth all-time on the UConn career list.

Moore boasted a string of 77 straight starts from her sophomore season to midway through her senior campaign. The 6-3 post player also closed out her UConn career tied for the seventh-most rebounds in the program’s history at 834.

Moore registered 10 double-doubles in her career and tallied double-figure points on 55 occasions during her collegiate career en route to earning All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention status following her senior season.

She was a member of a senior class that boasted a mark of 132-13 (.910) and won three national championships during their tenure in Storrs and was one of the team’s co-captains during her senior season.

A native of Palmer, Alaska, Moore is a communications major at UConn.
 

Outstanding Senior Athlete
Deirdre A. Mullen
Women’s Track & Field
Princeton, N.J.

Deirdre Mullen established herself as one of the top high jumpers in the country during here UConn career as she earned All-America honors four times and was a 2004 Olympic Trials qualifier.

Mullen earned her fourth All-America honors in the high jump at the 2004 NCAA Outdoor Championship with a sixth-place mark of 1.84 meters (6 feet, 1.25 inches), marking only the second time a UConn women’s track and field performer has garnered four All-America honors. During the 2004 outdoor season, she also broke her own school record at the NCAA East Regionals with a jump of 1.88 meters (6-2) to place second and earned her first outdoor title at the ECAC Championship.

Mullen received her third All-America honor in the high jump with a third-place mark of 1.86 meters (6-1.25) at the 2004 NCAA Indoor Championship to match her career-best and earned her third consecutive titles at both the ECAC and New England Championship in the high jump and claimed a second straight high jump title at the BIG EAST Championship. Mullen was undefeated for the entire indoor season prior to the NCAA Championship, taking first place at a total of nine meets. She set a new career-best mark at the Adidas Boston Indoor Games (1.86 meters) and later matched it at the NCAA Championships; the mark ranked in a tie for fifth-best jump in the country at the end of the season.

As a junior, Mullen earned her second All-America title in the high jump, clearing a height of 1.80 meters (5-10.75) at the 2003 NCAA Indoor Championship as she claimed her second ECAC title and first BIG EAST title. Mullen won the BIG EAST honor with a career-best jump of 1.84 meters (6-0.50) and was named the Mondo Northeast Region Women’s Athlete of the Year.

During the 2002 outdoor season, Mullen qualified for the NCAA Championship, where she finished 12th with a leap of 1.75 meters (5-8.75). She earned seven victories during the season including BIG EAST and New England Championships.

Mullen garnered her first All-America honors with a fifth-place finish at the 2002 NCAA Indoor Championship. Her jump of 1.80 meters (5-10.75) at the championship matched a season-best set en route to a first-place finish at the ECAC Championship a week earlier. Overall, Mullen had 10 top-five finishes during her sophomore indoor season.

A native of Princeton, N.J., Mullen is currently earning her master’s degree in counseling psychology after earning an undergraduate degree in human development/family relations.
 

Outstanding Senior Athlete
Cassie M. Novak
Women’s Swimming & Diving
Cheshire, Conn.

Cassie Novak has been a versatile and valuable member of the UConn women’s swimming and diving team for the past four years. An example of her versatility was the 2005 BIG EAST Championships where she swam on the sprint relay team and finished fifth in the mile swim – two totally opposite events.

Novak graduates from UConn as the school record holder in four events – the 200-yard backstroke, the 200-yard freestyle, the 500-yard freestyle and as a member of the 800-yard freestyle relay.

In 2004-05, Novak qualified for the United States Open in four different events as she finished third as part of the 400-yard medley relay team and fourth as part of the 400-yard free relay team. The Huskies finished fourth as a team at that prestigious event. Novak was also a finalist in three events at the Terrapin Cup as the team finished third and won three events at the Connecticut Invitational.

During her collegiate career, she has been an event champion at the Notre Dame Invitational, the Pittsburgh Invitational and the Terrapin Cup. She competed in several United States Open events and was the 2001 YMCA National Champion in the 200-yard backstroke.

Novak completed her career at UConn with six all-time top 10 finishes in the UConn record books.

A native of Cheshire, Conn., Novak is a coaching major at UConn and will do a coaching internship with the Huskies next season.
 

Outstanding Senior Athlete
Timothy M. Olsen
Men’s Hockey
Vadnais Heights, Minn.

Tim Olsen led the men’s hockey team in scoring in 2004 and garnered First Team All-Conference honors from the Atlantic Hockey Association his senior season. Olsen recorded 36 points on 12 goals and 24 assists for the Huskies during 2004-05.

In his final game as a Husky, which was against Mercyhurst in the conference playoffs, Olsen notched his 100th career point, becoming just the second player in the program’s Division I history to reach this scoring plateau. He is one of just two players to have appeared in all 37 games his senior year and missed only three games in his three-year career at UConn.

As a junior, Olsen finished ninth in NCAA Division I men’s hockey in scoring with 1.21 points per game. He also was named Atlantic Hockey Player of the Year and to the Atlantic Hockey All-Conference First Team to become the program’s first ever conference player of the year. He won the Atlantic Hockey 2003-04 regular season scoring title with 20 goals and 21 assists.

Olsen’s 20 goals in 2003-04 set a school Division I record, while his 41 points rank second and his 21 assists rank fifth on UConn’s single season Division I lists. He received Atlantic Hockey Player of the Week honors four times as a junior.

In his first year of play with the Huskies in 2002-03, he was the team’s top scorer with 10 goals and 13 assists for 23 points.

A native of Vadnais Heights, Minn., Olsen is an economics major at UConn.
 

Outstanding Senior Athlete
Daniel J. Orlovsky
Football
Shelton, Conn.

Dan Orlovsky set nearly every school passing record during his four years as UConn’s starting quarterback as he helped elevate the program to uncharted heights. Always a classy ambassador for the program off of the field, amongst his UConn career records set on the field are for most passing yards (10,706), completions (961) and touchdown passes (84).

A strong-armed role model and team captain, Orlovsky is expected to be amongst the school’s first NFL Draftees since 1994 as the league convenes for its annual player selection meeting this weekend in New York City.

Orlovsky capped his Husky career in style in 2004, guiding the team to its inaugural appearance in a bowl game as the Huskies defeated Mid-America Conference Champion Toledo, 39-10, in the Motor City Bowl. Orlovsky was named the game’s MVP after throwing for 239 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The game was the final one in a senior season that saw Orlovsky rank fifth in the nation in passing and 15th in total offense. When the season ended in Detroit, he ranked third amongst all active players in career touchdown passes and seventh in career passing yards. He was twice named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week during the season, including a historic recognition after the Syracuse game. Against the Orange at the hostile Carrier Dome, Orlovsky threw for a school-record 445 passing yards and BIG EAST record 39 completions, enabling him to become just the second player since 1996 to earn the honor outright in a losing effort.

Another accomplishment Orlovsky holds dear was repeating in both 2003 and 2004 as the Walter Camp Football Foundation’s Connecticut State Player of the Year. He is just the second repeat winner of the award and he joins Steve Young of BYU (a 2005 Pro Football Hall of Fame Inductee) as the only quarterbacks to ever win the award.

A native of Shelton, Conn., Orlovsky is majoring in political science.