On Campus - Newington College Students

NEWINGTON, CT — Here are some recent notable accomplishments by local college students, as provided by readMedia Newswire.

Eastern Connecticut State University, Willimantic CT

• This year, students at Eastern Connecticut State University have shown their community dedication through efforts made with Jumpstart - a national organization hosted by the Center for Community Engagement (CCE) that promotes quality early learning for all children, providing various types of programming for preschool students from under-resourced communities. Brianna Simonetti of Newington, who majors in Pre-Elementary Education and English, is a member of the Jumpstart program. As an AmeriCorps member of Jumpstart, she works with local preschools to provide individualized education, promote literacy and prepare students for kindergarten.

Lasell College, Newton MA

• One of the top players on the Lasell College men's volleyball team has been recognized by the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) All-Star Team for 2018, as announced by the league office. Junior defensive specialist Jordan Aprea of Newington has been named to the All-GNAC Third Team, as announced by the league office Tuesday afternoon. Aprea earns All-GNAC honors for the second year in a row, having earned Second Team honors in 2017. Aprea dominated the backcourt for the Lasers this season, leading the conference with 339 digs, and a GNAC second-best 3.26 digs per set. Aprea also broke out with a career-high 108 kills in this year, while having only a combined 10 in the previous two seasons. With 339 digs this season, Aprea breaks the Lasell single season record for digs, which he set in 2017 with 334. Through three seasons, Aprea has 866 career digs, averaging 2.66 per set, surpassing former Laser Joseph Lipski, who previously held the career record of 844, set in 2009. Along with the All-GNAC Third Team selection, Aprea was Lasell's representative on the GNAC Sportsmanship Team.

Photo credit: Lasell College

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