Eastern Connecticut State University

Eastern student Mariana Serrano was one of three award recipients at the annual Martin Luther King Distinguished Service Awards ceremony at Eastern Connecticut State University on Feb. 28.

The 2017-18 Eastern Connecticut State University women's lacrosse team is looking to return to the victor's stand. With a core of eight seniors leading the team, the Warriors are hoping to secure the team's first Little East Conference championship since 2013. A strong and consistent offense will be key to the team this year. If the team can score goals at last year's rate, they well may reach their goal of a conference title.

After a 2017 campaign marred with injury, the Eastern Connecticut State University baseball team is looking to return to championship form. After a disappointing 21-16 finish this past season, Head Coach Matt LaBranche is hoping this year's team will show the maturity and consistency needed to capture the program's third Little East Conference (LEC) Championship in the past five years. With a solid all-around lineup and a veteran bullpen, it will be up to the starting pitching to determine how far this year's crop of Warriors will advance in the postseason.

2017 was a year of rebuilding for the Eastern Connecticut State University softball team. The team, which had fallen to the depths of consecutive 15-25 seasons after six straight Little East Conference titles, will be looking to lean heavily on its young talent this year. Head Coach Diana Pepin says that the 12 freshmen and sophomores on the roster all have realistic chances to earn starting spots going into the season. With the team beginning its season with 10 games in Kissimmee, FL, during spring break, Pepin will learn quickly how the team stacks up this year.

The Eastern Connecticut State University men's club ice hockey team made sure their season didn't end without a good effort. Down two goals to Norwich University in the regional tournament semifinals, the team mounted a comeback and forced the game to overtime. Although Eastern lost the game, the Warriors showed the same fight that has made them a championship contender year in and year out. Ending the year at 16-6-1, the team posted the sixth-best winning percentage out of 62 teams in the northeast conference of the American College Hockey Association.

Eastern Connecticut State University student Benjamin Rumrill is the recipient of a research fellowship from the NASA Connecticut Space Grant Consortium. He is using the fellowship to support his research titled "The Effect of Microgravity on the Growth and Function of Neural Cells."

Many Eastern Connecticut State University students participate in Eastern's clubs during the academic year. The student club programs range from social to educational, physical to spiritual and civic engagement programs that benefit and enrich the Eastern community.

A number of creators and performers behind some of Eastern Connecticut State University's recent theatre productions were acknowledged at the Region I Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF). Held at Western Connecticut State University this past February, the festival is an annual event attended by more than 1,000 students and faculty from colleges across the Northeast.

After a disappointing 2016-17 season that saw the Warriors lose 10 of 18 games, the Eastern Connecticut State University men's lacrosse team is looking to reestablish itself as a serious contender in the Little East Conference. Thanks to the return of 16 letter winners from last year, the team is looking to bounce back after only the second losing season in program history.

The Eastern Connecticut State University women's swim team posted one of its most impressive overall seasons of the last decade in 2017-18. Thanks to a strong foundation of young talent, as well as a core of consistent veterans, the team recorded 625.5 points, the most by a Warrior's team since 2014. At the New England Intercollegiate Swimming and Diving Association Championships, six Eastern swimmers combined for 23 awards, the most since 2014. The team finished fifth place overall for seventh time in the last nine years.

Eastern Connecticut State University student Stefanie Dominguez '18 of Glastonbury, an Early Childhood Education and Communication major, recently had her research thesis published in the Early Childhood Education Journal. The highly-ranked, refereed journal analyzes trends, policies and practices in early childhood education for children ranging from birth to age eight. Her research provides insight into social interactions of students with low English proficiency, known as Dual Language Learners (DLLs), in classrooms.

Eastern Connecticut State University senior Tarchee Brown of Vernon, CT, received the Little East Conference (LEC) Men's Basketball Player-of-the-Week Award for the week ending Feb. 25. This is the third LEC Player-of-the-Week award Brown has received this season. Brown majors in sociology.

For the second time this year, Eastern Connecticut State University student-athlete Mya Villard '20 of Cromwell has been named to the weekly New England Women's Basketball Association Honor Roll. The sophomore, who majors in Criminology and plays the forward position, is one of five student-athletes from New England named to the list.

This year, Eastern Connecticut State University will have three students participating in the Holmes Master's Program. The students will be developing the talents needed to become agents of change in the teaching workforce, while also earning their master's degree. The program also allows them to work closely with different communities in an effort to engage in research opportunities and advocate for equity and diversity.

Eastern Connecticut State University student-athlete Madeleine Dalberg '20 is quickly making her name known in the Little East Conference (LEC). The Pitea, Sweden, native has been named the Little East Conference Track Rookie-of-the-Week for the second time in the past three weeks, this time for the week running through Feb. 4. Dalberg majors in communication.

Eastern Connecticut State University student-athlete Tai Barron '21 of Mansfield was named the Little East Conference (LEC) Track Athlete-of-the-Week for the week of Feb. 4. This is the first LEC weekly honor of Barron's career. He is an accounting major.

Eastern alum Rachel Scrivano '17 of Rocky Hill recently published her research titled "The Impact of Applicants' Weight and Education About Obesity on Applicant Ratings" in the Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research, a competetive academic journal that publishes undergraduate, graduate and faculty research.

Eastern Connecticut State University recently released its list of students who have enrolled for the spring 2018 semester.

Eastern Connecticut State University student Mary Underwood '18, a Sociology and Criminology major, is currently engaged in a successful internship with the CT Office of Adult Probation.

Eastern Connecticut State University student-athlete Matt Pinney '19 of Mansfield was named the Little East Conference (LEC) Track Athlete-of-the-Week for the week of Jan. 28. This is the first LEC weekly honor of Pinney's career. He is a Physical Education major.

Eastern Connecticut State University swimmer Maggie Lasto '21 of Orange, CT, was awarded the Little East Conference (LEC) Rookie Swimmer-of-the-Week Award for the week of Jan. 28. This is the first LEC weekly honor of Lasto's career. She now joins her two sisters, Mollee and Megan, who have both won LEC awards this season as well. Lasto is taking the exploratory track in the Arts and Humanities.

Eastern Connecticut State University recently released its Wintersession Dean's List.

Eastern Connecticut State University student Lauren Atkinson '17 of Harwinton is one of 28 graduate or undergraduate students across Connecticut to receive a scholarship from the NASA Connecticut Space Grant Consortium (CTSGC). Atkinson is using the scholarship to support her research titled "Evaluating the Scorpion Microbiome for Diversity and Antibiotic Production."

Eastern Connecticut State University mathematics student Catherine Falvey '18 of West Hartford presented her research on diagonalizable matrices at the Joint Mathematics Meetings in San Diego, CA, from Jan. 10-13.

After just recently enrolling at Eastern Connecticut State University in January, student-athlete Madeleine Dalberg made the most of her first collegiate track meet. With only a handful of practices under her belt, the freshman from Piteaa, Sweden was named the recipient of the Little East Conference Track Rookie-of-the-Week Award for the week of Jan. 21. Dalberg majors in Communication.

Eastern Connecticut State University swimmer Megan Lasto '21 of Orange made a big splash in the team's return to the pool. Lasto was awarded the Little East Conference Rookie Swimmer-of-the-Week Award for the week of Jan. 21.

Eastern Connecticut State University recently named its resident assistants (RAs) for the spring 2018 semester. RAs are responsible for guiding and aiding students with on-campus residential living.

Eastern Connecticut State University recently released its fall 2017 Dean's List for part-time students.

Eastern Connecticut State University recently released the names of full-time students who were named to the Dean's List for the fall 2017 semester.

Two Eastern Connecticut State University history students presented their research at the 2018 Phi Alpha Theta Biennial Convention Jan. 3-6 in New Orleans. They were accompanied by History Professor Bradley Davis.