Connecticut
Aspras, Taylor honored with Saunders and Schultz Awards, respectively – Connecticut Wrestling Online
Foran’s Kelly Aspras, left, and GFA’s Nate Taylor were honored as Connecticut’s winners of the 2024 Tricia Saunders Excellence Award and the Dave Schultz Excellence Award.
Milford’s Kelly Aspras of Foran High has been selected as the 2024 Connecticut winner of the Tricia Sanders High School Excellence Award and Greens Farms Academy senior Nate Taylor of the Sandy Hook section of Newtown has been selected as the state winner of the Dave Schultz Excellence Award in 2024 from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Both awards recognize and honor wrestlers for their excellence on the mat, scholastic achievement, citizenship and community service.
Aspras, who will attend nationally-ranked Sacred Heart University next winter, had a limited wrestling schedule this past winter. She eliminated wrestling against boys to avoid injuries and remain healthy throughout the season.
Aspras continued to dominate the competition among the girls. She finished third at the Eastern States Classic in New York at 145 pounds in January and won Foran’s Queen of the Mat tournament for the second time with three pins.
She won her third CIAC Girls Invitational championship and won her first New England championship at 152 pounds, finishing her high school season with a 13-1 record and 11 pins. She became the third girl in state history to win a third Girls Invitational title.
Taylor, who will attend the University of Pennsylvania next season, is a four-time National Prep School Tournament All-American. Three times, he finished third in 2021, 2022 and 2024 with a second place finish in 2023. Taylor wrestled at 190 this past season.
He won three New England Prep School championships in 2022, 2023 and 2024 and three Western New England championships, being named Most Outstanding Wrestler twice in 2023 and 2024. Taylor helped Greens Farms Academy win the last two New England championships.
Last December he was third at the Ironman Tournament in Ohio at 190 pounds and was an All-American at the Super 32 preseason tournament in 2022. He earned All-American honors in the 16-and-under division, formerly known as the Cadet Division, at 170 pounds at the USA Wrestling national championship meet in 2021.
In 2021, he won the National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA) freshman tournament at 160 pounds.
First presented in 2014, the Tricia Saunders Award is named in honor of Saunders, a four-time world champion wrestler and women’s wrestling pioneer. Saunders was the first woman to be inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2006 and was inducted into the United World Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2011.
The Dave Schultz Award was established in 1996 to honor Olympic and world champion Dave Schultz, whose career was cut short when he was murdered in January 1996. He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member in 1997 and as a member of the United World Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2016.
Connecticut
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Connecticut
Florida High School State Bronze Medalist Dajah German Verbals To Connecticut For Fall 2027
Fitter and Faster Swim Camps is the proud sponsor of SwimSwam’s College Recruiting Channel and all commitment news. For many, swimming in college is a lifelong dream that is pursued with dedication and determination. Fitter and Faster is proud to honor these athletes and those who supported them on their journey.
Florida high school state bronze medalist Dajah German has announced her verbal commitment to swim and study at the University of Connecticut beginning in the fall of 2027. She publicized the news on SwimCloud, writing:
I am so excited to announce my verbal commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at the University of Connecticut! I’m incredibly grateful for everyone who has supported me throughout this journey, my family, coaches, teammates, and friends who have pushed me to be my best throughout the years. And a very special thank you to Coach Chris and Coach Nicole for believing in me and giving me this opportunity. I’m so excited for what’s ahead. GO HUSKIES!
A rising senior at Fort Lauderdale High School in Florida, German trains year-round with Swim Fort Lauderdale and primarily specializes in the sprint and middle-distance freestyle events.
German has improved each year of her high school career, most recently dropping from 23.78, 51.39, and 1:50.56 in the 50/100/200 free to 23.54, 51.35, and 1:49.69 during the 2025-26 short course season.
German’s top meet of the season was the Florida Senior Championships in March, where she recorded her current PBs in both the 50 and 200 free. She finished second in the 500 free (4:55.94) and 1650 free (17:02.78), third in both the 50 free and 200 free, and fifth in the 100 free (51.43). She set her current 100 free PB at a smaller holiday meet in December. In the 500 free, she clocked a season-best 4:55.21 at the Speedo Cup in January, with her lifetime best of 4:53.19 coming at the 2025 Florida Senior Championships.
German has qualified for the FHSAA (Florida High School Athletic Association) State Championships for the past three years, with her top performance coming at the 2025 iteration in November. She placed third in the 50 free (23.96), fifth in the 500 free (5:01.12), and helped Fort Lauderdale to fourth place in both the 200 free relay (24.64 leadoff) and 400 free relay (53.08 anchor).
Top SCY Times:
- 50 Freestyle: 23.54
- 100 Freestyle: 51.35
- 200 Freestyle: 1:49.69
- 500 Freestyle: 4:53.19
A Division I Mid-Major program, Connecticut competes in the Big East, with the women’s team placing second out of seven teams at this past season’s conference championships. German’s current lifetime bests would have placed third in the 200 free, fourth in the 500 free, eighth in the 50 free, and ninth in the 100 free, setting her up as an immediate contributor with two full seasons of training still ahead before her first conference meet.
German joins Anna Mumford, Lyla Devlin, Lena Brown, and Louisa Holda in committing to the Huskies’ class of 2031 so far.
If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to [email protected].
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Connecticut
Strong Storm Emerges For Northern Connecticut: Here’s When, What To Know
Here are the forecast details for northern Connecticut via the National Weather Service:
Today: Sunny, with a high near 80. Light west wind increasing to 6 to 11 mph in the morning.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 56. Northwest wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Monday: A chance of showers before 2pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 2pm and 4pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 4pm. Increasing clouds, with a high near 76. Calm wind becoming southeast around 6 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Monday Night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. Low around 59. Southeast wind around 8 mph becoming southwest after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.
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