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A defensive specialist, Alyssa Breunig was the only player in the Northeast-10 Conference to rank among the top 10 in both blocks and steals per game this past winter,
Contributed photo / St. Michael's College Athletics
TRUMBULL — Saint Michael's College women's basketball senior Alyssa Breunig out of Trumbull High was announced as a winner of the Department of Athletics' Victor V. LeMieux '35 Award on May 15.
The accolades were part of Athletics' 73rd annual year-end awards program, typically celebrated in person with the Block 'M' banquet. Major departmental honors were unveiled virtually, leading up to a senior celebration on Sunday, May 17, around the College's virtual Commencement.
The Victor V. LeMieux '35 Award, which was established in 1964, is presented annually to the varsity athlete best displaying loyalty and leadership in their program, both on and off the field of competition.
A defensive specialist, Breunig was the only player in the Northeast-10 Conference to rank among the top 10 in both blocks (1.6) and steals (1.7) per game this past winter, placing fifth in rejections. She completed a well-rounded stat line with 5.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists.
Breunig, a seven-time NE10 Academic Honor Roll qualifier and two-time Division 2 Athletics Directors Association (D2 ADA) Academic Achievement Award honoree, entered the spring with a 3.563 cumulative grade-point average as a double major in political science and media studies, journalism & digital arts.
She holds membership in the Pi Sigma Alpha political science honor society and interned last summer for Slam Magazine in New York City.
"Alyssa has an energy and charisma to her that I have never seen before," said Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) adviser and women's basketball head coach Shannon Bollhardt. "While she was not voted captain this season, she still led our team and was incredibly respected. She used her voice to motivate teammates, maintain a level of positivity, and was the most consistent player I have ever coached in regard to how she showed up every day.
“Off the court, Alyssa maintained a high level of maturity, someone I often looked to for thoughts and guidance related to the team,” Bollhardt said. “When I reflect on players that I have coached, Alyssa is in the top tier in terms of character, integrity, maturity and someone that is truly an unsung hero. She was often the glue that held the team together and received little to no recognition for it.
“In her roles outside of basketball, she has taken on a tremendous amount of work to make her fellow classmates and Saint Michael's community better.”
Breunig was a co-founder of campus organization TBC, which aims to address and educate the College community about sexual assault awareness and served as SAAC secretary this year. Breunig participated locally through her team to support Walk to School Day, Making Strides of Northern Vermont, the Winooski Middle School girls' basketball program through Sisters in Sport, the Pride Vermont Parade and Festival, and youths at Woodside Juvenile Rehabilitation Center.
A team captain at Trumbull of the volleyball and basketball teams, Breunig earned All-FCIAC accolades in both sports and All-State accolades in volleyball. She played in underclassmen all-star game in basketball and played in Senior All-Star game for both sports.
Breunig was named Trumbull High School Female Athlete of the Year her senior year, when she also earned the Connecticut AAU Girls' Basketball Leadership Award.
william.bloxsom@hearstmediact.com Twitter: @blox354