University of Connecticut Athletics
FOUR HUSKIES NAMED NSCA STRENGTH & CONDITIONING ALL-AMERICANS
5/11/2023 1:56:00 PM | General, Men's Ice Hockey, Softball, Women's Track and Field, Baseball
Colorado Springs, CO - The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) is proud to announce UConn seniors Roman Kinal (Waterford, Michigan) of men's hockey, Meghan O'Neil (Forest, Virginia) of softball, Ben Huber (Pendleton, South Carolina) of baseball and Emily Lavarnway (Ovid, New York) of women's track and field have been named 2023 All-American Athlete Strength and Conditioning Athletes of the Year Award recipients. This award recognizes these four student athletes' athletic accomplishments and dedication to strength and conditioning.
Kinal was a member of the Huskies' leadership this past season, serving as team Captain. He finished the year with two goals and five assists for seven total points while also blocking 21 total shots on the season. During his five-year UConn career, Kinal appeared in 121 total games scoring seven goals and dishing out 27 assists for 27 total points. At the end of the season, he signed an ATO tryout with the San Jose Barracuda's of the AHL, the top-affiliate of the NHL's San Jose Sharks.
"Roman is an athlete that stands out for many reasons, but to me for his determination, leadership, and perseverance. He has fully committed to our program and when presented with challenges that would deter many athletes, he has risen to the occasion. He has overcome injury and setbacks and worked his way to the top of the team in performance and testing. He challenges and demands the best from his teammates, and this is why he serves as a captain. Working with an athlete like Roman has been a privilege and he has left a lasting impact on our program." ~Maureen Butler, Assistant Director of Athletics for Olympic Sports Performance.
In her senior year, O'Neil was one of the Huskies most consistent pitchers. O'Neil helped lead UConn to a 33-13 overall record and the number 1 overall seed for the 2023 Big East Tournament. On the year, O'Neil is 6-4 overall with 62 strikeouts in 66 innings pitched, surpassed 300 career strikeouts and is second in the country and has recorded a team high eight saves.
"Meg is the pillar of consistency and work ethic. She gives her best effort in everything she does. Meg sets high expectations for herself, shows up ready to attack every session and always holds herself and her teammates accountable. Meg goes above and beyond to prepare and put herself in the best situation to be successful. Her determination has propelled her to the top of the team in training & conditioning and she is an athlete that every coach would want to work with." ~Maureen Butler, Associate Director for Sports Performance.
In his senior season Huber was one of the most consistent and reliable members for the Huskies. This season Huber leads the BIG EAST in doubles, is top five in the league in home runs and RBI's and is tied for 15 in program history with 21 home runs in just two seasons. Huber once again is in the conversation for post season awards and is looking to help lead the Huskies back to the conference championship game.
"Ben embodies everything this award recognizes. He came to UConn as a graduate student last year and has consistently ranked number 1 overall in our testing metrics for the last two years. His accomplishments on the field are a direct result of his unwavering commitment to strength and conditioning and his on-field skillset. He possesses all the physical qualities of a top-tier athlete; he has elite strength, speed, agility, and power for his size, which combined with his consistent approach to training continues to elevate him above his peers. His work ethic and competitive edge combined with his understanding of training principles have helped him be a leader in our weight room and through his unselfish approach he has help to guide many of his teammates to help optimize their training and performance. Ben leads by example every day and is like having another coach in our weight room." Joel DeMarco, Senior Associate Director of Olympic Sports Performance.
In her senior season Lavarnway was part of the Huskies leadership team, serving as team Captain for the 2022-23 season. AS a senior Lavarnway continues to be one of the Huskies strongest athletes. Lavarnway is a two-time Indoor Big East Champion in the pentathlon, won Big East Field athlete of the week most recently, and holds the top two all time marks in program history in the Pentathlon with 4,053 points, and in the Heptathlon with 5,473 points. Lavarnway is once again poised to make noise at the BIG EAST Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
"Emily excels in the weight room in a multitude of ways. In her two years with us since transferring in, she has made incredible strides and transformations both as an individual and as a leader. This year, Emily is within the top 10% of the roster both in relative and absolute cumulative scores of back squat, bench press, and cleans. In her time here, Emily has won two indoor conference pentathlon titles, took home a silver in last year's heptathlon, and will be competing to win the heptathlon title later this Spring. Emily clearly has all the tangibles. But what separates her are the intangibles. She was voted captain by her teammates and it's not difficult to see why observing her in the weight room. Emily is driven, focused, and determined to work hard and improve. She is also incredibly coachable. Additionally, Emily consistently brings an incredibly positive attitude and high energy into her training that fills the room and has a positive impact on her teammates and on me as a Coach. Emily supports and motivates her teammates all while giving maximum effort herself. It has been a pleasure to watch Emily's growth and success and a joy to coach her. She exemplifies what it means to be an NSCA All-American." ~ Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach Michael Rozzi
About the National Strength & Conditioning Association
Founded in 1978, The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) is a nonprofit association dedicated to advancing the strength and conditioning and related sport science professions around the world.
The NSCA exists to empower a community of professionals to maximize their impact through disseminating evidence- based knowledge and its practical application by offering industry-leading certifications, research journals, career development services, networking opportunities, and continuing education. The NSCA community is composed of more than 60,000 members and certified professionals throughout the world who further industry standards as researchers, educators, strength and conditioning coaches, performance and sport scientists, personal trainers, tactical professionals, and other related roles.
Players Mentioned
