University of Connecticut
academic counseling 1 4 B I G E A ST P l a y e r s o f t h e Y e a r
l
44 All-American Selections
l
8 2 A l l - B I G E A ST S e l e c t i o n s
optimize their use of individual personality type testing results in academic, career, and personal realms.
Gavin Potter CPIA Phone: (860) 486-6481 Fax: (860) 486-3441 Gavin.Potter@UConn.edu The University of Connecticut’s Counseling Program for Intercollegiate Athletes (CPIA) was established in 1986 to provide comprehensive support to all UConn student-athletes. CPIA’s staff includes nine full time counselors, a learning specialist, three graduate assistants and an extensive complement of tutors. The program boasts a large computerized writing lab with electronic access to the reference tools of the Homer Babbidge Library. Individual tutors in all subjects are readily available to student-athletes upon their request. A CPIA counselor is assigned to each intercollegiate team. He or she monitors student-athlete academic performance; provides academic, career, and personal counseling while also making appropriate referrals to other University support programs including Career Services, Study Abroad, and discipline-specific advising; facilitates, in consort with faculty and staff advisors, registration in courses that accommodate practice times while optimizing progress toward a degree; coordinates tutor requests and assignment; assists in the development of learning and time management skills; and ensures individual student-athlete compliance with NCAA satisfactory academic progress rules. The women’s soccer program tallied the highest GPA for all UConn athletic programs in both the 2011 fall and 2012 spring semesters with marks of 3.37 and 3.39, respectively. Helping the Huskies earn the highest academic standing among all UConn teams was Cory Bildstein (4.0), Kaichie Ho (4.0), Georgie Giddings (3.88), Riley Houle (3.93), Julie Hubbard (3.87), Sam Kelly (3.925), Hillary Lackman (3.86), Linda Ruutu (3.94) and Courtney Wilkinson-Maitland (3.81) who all recorded perfect or near perfect GPAs in the fall semester. Bildstein, Houle, Hubbard, Lackman, Ruutu and Wilkinson-Maitland also repeated their efforts in the spring and were joined by Michelle Baj and Danielle Dakin. Following a stellar senior campaign on and off the field, Jessica Dulski was tabbed the 2012 CPIA Scholar Athlete of the year for women’s soccer. As a team, the Huskies were honored as a National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-Academic Team. UConn had twenty student-athletes named to the 2012 BIG EAST All-Academic team. The UConn women’s soccer coaches and team members take great pride in the team’s academic, service, and leadership accomplishments. The team completed an academic Triple Crown of sorts in 2009-2010. First, they were recognized for academic excellence by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. Second, they were recognized during the spring 2010 semester by the University as UConn’s top academic team, boasting a 3.26 spring 2009-fall 2009 cumulative team grade point average (the team has gone on to post a remarkable 3.44 team GPA for the spring 2010 semester). And third, the team was recognized by the NCAA in its Public Recognition Program as being in the top 10% among women’s soccer teams nationally with respect to Academic Progress Rate (APR). Indeed, fifteen members of the team achieved the Dean’s List in their school or college last year, the highest number of Dean’s List achievers for the team since its academic heyday in the mid-1990’s. Leading the team this past year with perfect 4.0 spring semester GPA’s were seniors Annie Yi and Lauren Ebert. Brittany Taylor, Corey Bildstein and Jessica Shufelt followed closely in the spring semester with near perfect 3.93, 3.93 and 3.88 GPAs, respectively. Joining these five students in averaging at or above 3.5 over the full academic year were Melissa Busgue, Danielle Dakin, Becky Gundling, Karen Gurnon, Sam Kelley, Hillary Lackman, Kacey Richards, Linda Ruutu, and Courtney WilkinsonMaitland. Annie Yi, awarded the BIG EAST Scholar Athlete Award, received the team’s individual Scholar-Athlete Award, recognizing sustained academic excellence, at the team’s annual banquet. She was accepted into UConn’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program last spring and completed her initial coursework in the program this summer with perfect grades. UConn women’s soccer members have a long tradition of garnering academic, leadership, service, and holistic honors within and outside the athletics realm. Shannon Algoe, Karen Gurnon, and Annie Yi were named New England Scholars for having achieved consecutive 3.7 or better semesters in the 2009 calendar year. With regard to service, Courtney Wilkinson-Maitland, Meghan Cunningham, and Alexis Garufi all serve as teacher/facilitators on the Enrichment Team, teaching the Personal Growth for Student-Athletes CPIA Kinsman Award winners freshmen year experience course and (Women’s Soccer Members) maintaining the distinction of being one 2007.................................... Courtney Sands of the very few UConn undergraduate 2006..................................Kristine Lundberg students entrusted to conduct class2002.............................................Kate Foley room sessions in a credit-bearing course 2001.......................................Maria Yatrakis without direct supervision. Significantly, 1998................................. Christine McCann three of the six members of this elite 1997........................................Sarah Barnes teaching/mentoring unit, selected after 1995.....................................Linda Iacobellis a rigorous screening process, are 1994....................................... Jill Gelfenbien women’s soccer players. Wilkinson1993......................................Michelle Chura Maitland, Cunningham, and Garufi along 1992......................................... Pam Claudio with senior Corey Bildstein also serve 1991...................................Denise Swenson as Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Small Group Facilitators, helping freshmen student-athletes as well as non-athletes
Less than a year ago, UConn’s School of Law announced that Kate Foley, UConn’s 2002 women’s soccer Academic All-American, finished first in her law school class. Foley, who led the team in minutes played as a senior, previously completed UConn’s Pharm.D. program in 2006. She is now with the prestigious Boston law firm Ropes & Gray. Meanwhile, 2007 women’s soccer graduate Courtney Sands made the Law Review last year at New England School of Law. Also In recent years UConn’s Neag School has honored Brittany Tegeler, Kathleen Frank, Lani Fortier, and Kristen Gracyk as the top student in their Kinesiology Department’s academic field. Notably, UConn’s Kinesiology program is ranked #1 ranked in the nation. Further, UConn women’s soccer players have captured 11 of the 19 Kinsman Awards since that prestigious award was established. The Kinsman Award is CPIA’s highest award, presented annually to one female and one male from among all seniors in UConn’s 24 varsity sports. The award recognizes academic and athletic achievement and improve2011-12 Women’s Soccer ment, leadership, service, perseDivision of athletics verance and character. UConn women’s soccer players- includGelfenbien Family/Dean’s List Award ing current Women’s Professional Soccer’s Meghan Schnur and Name ...........................................Major Kristen Graczyk- have also captured 5 of the last 9 female UConn Michelle Baj........................................Finance Big East Scholar-Athlete of the Gabrielle Charno...Matierals Science/Engineering Year awards (given to only one Danielle Dakin....................Exercise Science UConn female student-athlete Jess Dulski...................Human Development each year).
Alex Garufi...................Human Development
Georgie Giddings............................Sociology Since the spring 2003 semester, Kaichie Ho...................................Engineering women’s soccer teammates have supported each other academiRiley Houle................Allied Health Sciences cally through a “learning group” Julie Hubbard............Allied Health Sciences program, first proposed by forHillary Lackman............................Psychology mer goalkeeper Maria Yatrakis Linda Ruutu.....................................Sociology and initiated by Coach Tsantiris Lindsey Watkins..............................Education and team counselor John Miceli. Courtney Wilkinson - Maitland...Engineering These groups have proven tremendously effective in facilitating academic achievement motivation and team unity, and enhancing team GPA. In fact, the learning group program has been so successful that it is now emulated by the men’s and women’s swimming & diving teams and the women’s cross-country and track & field teams. Annie Yi, Samantha Kelly, Cory Bildstein, Courtney Maitland-Wilkinson, and Karen Gurnon will lead the team’s learning groups this fall. Gavin Potter is entering his second year as the academic counselor for the women’s soccer program. Coaches Tsantiris and Rodriguez work closely with Gavin to create a nurturing environment in which each individual team member can grow personally, academically and athletically. A 2006 graduate of Northeastern University, Potter was a four year starter at free safety for the football team and earned Second Team All-Atlantic 10 honors during his senior season. A four-time selection to the Atlantic 10 All-Academic Team Potter was also named the team’s defensive MVP for 2004. He earned his Master’s Degree in Educational Psychology with a focus in College Student Development and Counseling from Northeastern University in 2009. Prior to joining UConn, Potter served in various capacities in Student Athlete Support Services at Northeastern ultimately working his way up to an Associate Director role. During his time at Northeastern he was one of 15 participants selected from a national pool for the National Association of Academic Advisors for Athletics Professional Development Institute; a 10 day intensive leader manager training run by leaders in the field. In his role in CPIA Potter works closely with the SWA, SID and his fellow counselors to coordinate scholarships and awards for the BIG EAST and NCAA. In addition to women’s soccer he serves as an academic counselor for volleyball, lacrosse and men’s track and field.
Jessica Dulski accepts UConn’s CPIA Scholar Athlete of the Year award for Women’s Soccer.
2012 UConn women’s soccer media guide
87