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3 Huskies Earn Recognition for Athletic and Academic Excellence, Community Service
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- 3 Huskies Earn Recognition for Athletic and Academic Excellence, Community Service
(Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images)
Three UConn student-athleteshave been named winners of the 2025-26 Big East Sport Excellence Awards, givenfor their academic and athletic achievements along with their dedication tocommunity service.
Basketball star AlexKaraban, now in the NBA , was joined by field hockey player Sol Simone and AnnaConnors from the women's indoor track and field team.
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The conference announced the recipients on Wednesday.
The Big East presentsits Sport Excellence Award annually to one student-athlete per conferencesport.
To be considered, thestudent-athletes must have at least junior-class standing and a cumulative grade-pointaverage of 3.00 or higher. The Big East Faculty Athletics Representative Council selectsthose to be awarded.
Seton Hall led allschools with seven honorees. UConn's three awards were matched by Butler,Marquette and St. John's among conference schools.
Alex Karaban
Karaban's status as atwo-time national champion on the court was matched by his excellence in theclassroom. He achieved a grade-point average of 3.920 as a graduate student in hisfinal academic year.
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In his redshirt senior seasonin 2025-26, Karaban was the only Huskies player to start all 40 games. Heaveraged 13.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game, adding 33 stealsand 33 blocks. Karaban was a First-Team All-Big East selection.
At the conclusion ofUConn's Feb. 28 game, he became the first active player to be added to the Huskiesof Honor. He holds the UConn all-time records in wins (126), gamesplayed (151), starts (150), minutes (4,906),and 3-pointers (292). His 1,880 career points rank sixth on UConn'sall-time scoring list.
Karaban was the No. 29pick of the 2026 NBA Draft in June and is preparing to begin his rookie seasonwith the Sacramento Kings .
Sol Simone
Simone, a midfielder,ended her four-year run as a Huskies field hockey standout by being named aSecond-Team All-American by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association.
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The NFHCA also recognizedher as a Scholar of Distinction after she attained a 3.963 GPA.
As a senior, Simonestarted all 20 games, scoring three goals on a .611 shots on goal percentage.She added 13 assists.
A native of BuenosAires, she earned several honors for her play throughout her four years,including freshman and midfielder of the year in the Big East, as well as afirst-team, all-conference selection.
The team, in itsentirety, reached a spring GPA of 3.511.
Anna Connors
Connors, from Bangor,Maine, won the bronze medal at the Big East track championships in the 400m with atime of 53.91 in the 2025 outdoor season as a junior. She also was a member ofthe team that won the 4X100m team race at the UConn Dog Fight at 3:43.84. Inthe spring, she won the gold medal in the same event with a 54.33 time in the conferencechampionship.
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Off the track, she earneda 3.880 GPA.
In her first three years at UConn, Connors has wonraces at the Yale Springtime Meet and Columbia Challenge. In the 2024-25season, Connors set a program record in the 300m at the Battle in Beantown in38.42
