D3 Recognition Ceremony
L-R: Ted, Carter and Rhonda Sihpol. Credit: Michael Dinan
More than 80 friends, family members and coaches joined 17 New Canaan High School student-athletes on Monday for the Division III Recognition Ceremony.
Organized by parents Meghan Finnigan and Nancy Roeder and run by NCHS Athletic Director Jay Egan, the annual ceremony recognizes seniors who intend to play sports at D3 colleges in the fall (see gallery above).
It’s a way to mark “the fruits of your labor, which can probably stretch back to maybe when you were five years old,” Egan told the crowd gathered in the Wagner Room.
He continued: “And how many practices your parents drove you to, and how many sacrifices you made, and how many sacrifices your parents, your family, your friends made, and helped you get to where you have a chance to continue in your athletic career. That’s not something that’s a normal extension of being a high school athlete. So it’s really something special.”
The student-athletes earning D3 recognition are:
- Henry Silva (Colby, baseball)
- Pierce Baker (Tufts, crew)
- Logan Thom (Tufts, crew)
- Miles Chisholm (Washington & Lee, football)
- Owen Lydon (Bowdoin, football)
- Carter Sihpol (Denison, football and track)
- Claire Ognibene (Springfield, lacrosse)
- Beckett Burley (Franklin & Marshall, lacrosse)
- Colin Finnigan (Rhodes, lacrosse)
- Thomas Garcia (Washington & Lee, lacrosse)
- Hayden Roeder (Franklin & Marshall, lacrosse)
- Jack Sconzianzo (Skidmore, lacrosse)
- Kieran Shin (Trinity, lacrosse)
- Emma Finnerty (Tufts, soccer)
- Nate Codd (Colby, swim)
- Trey Kaupp (Roger Williams, wrestling)
- Patrick Zoccollilo (Gettysburg, track)
Egan said that Division III is the largest division in terms of number of institutions and number of participants in the NCAA.
“With more than 196,000 students and 446 institutions representing 66 conferences, Division III makes up 40%. of the NCAA’s total membership,” he said. “ Division III members provide a well-rounded collegiate experience that involves a balance of rigorous academics, competitive athletics, and the opportunity to pursue a multitude of other co-curricular and extracurricular opportunities.”
Established in 1973, Division III “provides an equitable and inclusive environment for student athletes to take responsibility for their own paths, follow their passions, and discover their potential through a comprehensive educational experience,” he said.
Egan said providing information on D3 is “an important backdrop for us, for our recognition here this afternoon.”
“I think it really puts what you have chosen as far as the path that you want to pursue in a really important context,” he said.