NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Albertus Magnus College senior men's soccer player Declan Ryan was named a finalist for the 2023 Men's Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Athlete of the Year.
The GNAC Athlete of the Year award is modeled after the NCAA Man of the Year award. It recognizes graduating student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership.
Ryan earned his undergraduate degree in Business Management at Albertus Magnus, graduating with a 3.94 cumulative GPA. His academic accomplishments include being a 3x GNAC All-Academic Team, a 2023 Outstanding Involvement Student Athlete (Male) awarded by Albertus Magnus College and a 2022 CSC Academic All-District Men's Soccer Team nod. During his athletic career, he was selected to the New England Intercollegiate Soccer League (NEISL) Division III All-Star Game and was a captain during his senior season in which he made 18 appearances for the Falcons, with 16 starts, as a defender and midfielder. Outside the soccer field, he was active in the community. His efforts include volunteering as a Youth Soccer coach, volunteering with Unified Sports (Special Olympics), assisting in Albertus Magnus' Service Day Clean-Up, GNAC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Commissioner's Council & SAAC President/Men's Soccer Representative.
Personal Statement:
"Over the duration of my four years at Albertus Magnus I have had the opportunity to grow immensely as a scholar, athlete, leader, and most importantly as an individual. Of all the groups and activities that I participated in, the one that has meant the most to me was Unified Sports. What started as something that I just needed to attend for one day ended up being something, I became heavily involved in and loving. I began coaching practices twice a week, running, and organizing tournaments for four years. Every practice I would have my teammates from the soccer team come and participate in practice with the athletes and for tournaments have all the student athletes and their respective teams cheer on all the Unified Athletes.
The reason that I enjoyed working with the Unified Athletes was because it meant so much to them. Whenever they saw myself or my teammates they would light up and they'd want to stop and chat about their week, or how excited they are for our next practice or tournament. The couple hours we spend a week practicing and socializing with them truly means so much to them which means a lot to me. Without the Unified sports they wouldn't have a way to connect with the general students but because of our practices and tournaments they now have friends outside of their immediate group. To be able to make a difference in the day to day lives of the Unified students means so much to me and has been one of the most enjoyable and rewarding activities I've partaken in my life.
Other roles that I fulfilled at Albertus was serving as the captain of the men's soccer team across multiple seasons, Student Athletic Advisory Committee President, and GNAC commissioners' council member. These positions helped me become a leader as I was now responsible for more than just myself and I had to learn how to work and handle different personalities in order to make sure all tasks were achieved and that everything got adequately taken care of. Whether that be making sure all the cones are out and ready for practice or making sure meetings get held and address topics of concern. Never did I expect to transition into the person I am today and I'm grateful for Albertus Magnus and the GNAC for allowing me to do so."
