Stephens, Kociszewski, Rossetti Named September HHC Athletes of the Month

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) Department of Athletics would like to recognize the Hartford HealthCare Athletes of the Month for the first full month of the fall sports season, the month of September. These student-athletes went above any beyond during a highly competitive sports slate while standing out above the rest in the respective month. The award is usually presented to one male and one female student-athlete across all school sports at the end of each calendar month, and is done so on behalf of USJ Athletics and Hartford HealthCare. For more on the September winners, please see below:

Dane Stephens (Men's Soccer) – The senior forward from Linstead, Jamaica paced the USJ offense during the opening month of the season guiding the team to a 5-3-1 record overall and a perfect 4-0-1 mark in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) competition. Stephens tallied a team-high 12 points, scoring a team-best five goals while also dishing out two assists. He began the month by dishing out an assist against Fisher (Aug. 30), before scoring a brace against Bridgewater State (Sep. 3). Stephens continued his point streak in the following contest, tallying an assist against Wheaton (Sep. 7). The senior forward rounded out the month by scoring in three-consecutive contests, starting with the game winning goal on the road at Saint Joseph's College of Maine (Sep. 21), before finding the back of the net during a home victory against Elms (Sep. 25) and netting his second game winner of the month on the road at Regis (Sep. 28). The honor marks the second time that Stephens has been named a Hartford HealthCare Athlete of the Month in his career, and the first since October of 2022.

Grace Kociszewski (Field Hockey) – Kociszewski, a freshman from Thomaston, Conn., has had an incredible start to her collegiate career, tallying a team-high 25 points off 11 goals and three assists, guiding the Blue Jays to a 6-4 start to the season. She currently ranks third in the GNAC for total points and also sits third in the conference for goals scored. Kociszewski began the season on fire, recording her first career points in her debut game, scoring a goal and dishing out an assist against Western Connecticut (Aug. 30). She continued her dominate start by collecting a goal and an assist for three points in a road victory at Morrisville (Sep. 2). Then At the first-year netted two goals against Plymouth State (Sep. 4) before lifting the Blue Jays to victory over Ramapo (Sep. 6) by scoring the game-winning goal. After her scoring output, Kociszewski was named both the GNAC Player and Rookie of the Week. The freshman carried the momentum into the following week, netting her first career hat trick to guide the Blue Jays to a overtime victory at Sage (Sep. 10). She received GNAC Rookie of the Week honors after her stellar performance. Kociszewski rounded out the month with two goals during a road victory at Dean (Sep. 24) and a goal in the overtime triumph at Lasell (Sep. 28). The honor marks the first Hartford HealthCare Athlete of the Month award in her career.

Maddie Rossetti (Women's Tennis) – A freshman from Hamden, Conn., Rossetti has enjoyed immediate success in her debut season. Playing primarily at No. 1 doubles and at No. 2 singles, she boasts a team-best record of 16-3 overall, including a 9-1 mark in singles play and a 7-2 record in doubles matches. Rossetti began her career by pickign up a pair of victories against Bridgewater State (Aug. 31), winning 8-1 in doubles and a 6-3, 6-4 straight set victory at No. 2 singles, earning the only points for USJ against the Bears. Her play against Bridgewater state earned her GNAC Rookie of the Week accolades. She then helped power the Blue Jays to a 3-0 week, including a 1-0 start in GNAC play, on the courts where the Blue Jays swept Albertus Magnus (Sep. 3), Western Connecticut (Sep. 6) and Curry (Sep. 7), posting a 3-0 record in both singles and doubles play to earn her second-straight Rookie of the Week honor. After a Blue Jays setback at Roger Williams (Sep. 11), where she picked up the team's lone point with a victory in her singles match, Rossetti continued to shine in her debut season, posting a perfect 3-0 record in matches against UMass Dartmouth and GNAC foe Regis. Playing alongside Santoro at No. 1 doubles against UMass Dartmouth, she posted a 6-1 victory against the Corsairs. Rossetti has also continued to be stellar in singles play, first by securing a 6-1, 6-2 victory at No. 2 singles against UMass Dartmouth. Then, she continued her stellar week by picking up a 6-0, 6-3 victory at No. 2 singles against conference foes Regis to garner her third GNAC Rookie of the Week accolade of the season. Rossetti concluded the month with victories in both doubles and singles against Western New England and Clark. The honor marks the first Hartford HealthCare Athlete of the Month award in her career.

About Hartford HealthCare 
With more than 41,000 colleagues, Hartford HealthCare's unified culture enhances access, affordability, equity and excellence. Its care-delivery system — with nearly 500 locations serving 185 towns and cities — includes two tertiary-level teaching hospitals, an acute-care community teaching hospital, an acute-care hospital and trauma center, three community hospitals, a behavioral health network, a multispecialty physician group, a clinical care organization, a regional home care system, an array of senior care services, a mobile neighborhood health program and a comprehensive physical therapy and rehabilitation network.

On average, Hartford HealthCare touches more than 23,000 lives every single day. The unique, system-wide Institute Model offers a unified high standard of care in crucial specialties at hospital and ambulatory sites across Connecticut offering unparalleled expertise at the most affordable cost. The institutes include: Ayer Neuroscience, Behavioral Health, Cancer, Digestive Health, Heart and Vascular, Orthopedics and Tallwood Urology & Kidney. Visit Hartford HealthCare at www.HartfordHealthCare.org and stay connected through newsletters and social media.

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