PITTSBURGH, Pa. - The Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference announced the 2021 AMCC All-Academic Team today and for the fifth time in nine years, a Hilbert College student-athlete has been awarded with the league's highest academic honor.

Senior Brianna Stegmeier, Hilbert's dual-sport student-athlete, and Penn State Altoona's tennis and golf senior Jimmy Gillespie were selected as the recipients of the 2021 AMCC  Faculty Athletics Representatives (FAR) Award.  18 impressive student-athletes were nominated within the nine-member conference this spring.

Hilbert senior cross country runner Adam Connelly was named to the 2021 AMCC All-Academic Team receiving recognition for his outstanding commitment to both his studies and training. 

Both Stegmeier and Connelly were recognized by the Hilbert College Athletic Department as the 2021 McGrath Award winners.

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Click the link above for the Don Vincent Video Announcement of the 2021 McGrath Awards.

Click the link above for the full list of AMCC All-Academic Team members.

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Brianna Stegmeier (Hamburg High School) didn't waste any time getting involved on campus when she enrolled in 2018.   She was a four-year, two-sport student-athlete, a four-year member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, committing to a two-year stint as the club's Vice President, and was a very reliable student-worker within the Game Day support staff.

She was a two-year starter in net for the Hawks soccer program, sadly losing her senior campaign to cautionary concerns related to Covid-19.  At the time of her graduation, Stegmeier left the soccer program ranked No. 2 in the Hawks' All-Time list with 9.58 Saves per Game.  She was named the Hero Sports Defender of the Week in 2018 after collecting a career-high 18 saves against La Roche University.

Stegmeier was also a three-year starter for the Hawks' lacrosse program.  Her one-game junior year was interrupted and she lost her senior season also to Covid-19 ripple effects.  Stegmeier made 27 starts on defense in two full seasons and moved to midfield in the solo game played in spring 2020.  She was credited with six goals and one assist.

Stegmeier was named the 2019 soccer Most Valuable Player, the 2018 lacrosse Most Improved Player and was honored with the 2021 Coaches Award in both soccer and lacrosse.

Stegmeier was a 4x Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Academic All-Conference member and a 4x AMCC Individual Peak Performer;  she was recognized as a 4x North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) Scholar-Athlete, was inducted into the Chi Alpha Sigma New York Theta Honor Society in the spring of 2020, and earned the athletic department's 2021 McGrath Award in addition to Hilbert's Blue and White Society.

Stegmeier graduated virtually from Hilbert with a bachelor's of science in forensic science/crime scene investigation May 15.  She will continue her graduate studies in the fall at Mercyhurst University pursuing her master of science in applied intelligence.
 
Her 3.98 cumulative grade-point average represented her diligent academic effort having earned a perfect 4.0 in seven semesters.

Adam Connelly established himself as an immediate leader in the men's cross country program when he joined the team in August 2018.  He was a four-year cross country runner, became the first and only men's track athlete to compete at Hilbert College and was a consummate team leader both on and off the trails.

The Cardinal O'Hara High School graduate was a top-two scorer in every race at Hilbert and set personal records in both the 8K and 5K races in 2019.  He was part of the fastest Hilbert men's team which posted the program's lowest score (99 points) at the AMCC Championships in 2017, and he competed in the NCAA Division III Mideast Regional Race in November 2018.  Connelly was voted to the 2018 AMCC All-Sportsmanship Team by his teammates and was given the Coaches Award in both 2018 and 2021.

Connelly was also a four-year AMCC Academic All-Conference member, an AMCC Individual Peak Performer, was inducted into the Chi Alpha Sigma Honor Society in April 2020 and earned the 2021 McGrath Award. 

Connelly graduated with a 3.52 cumulative GPA earning a bachelor's degree in digital media and communications – marketing in May.
 
Hilbert became a full member of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference in 2004-2005 which allowed its student-athletes to compete for post-season honors and awards.  Only six other Hawks have been selected as the FAR Award recipient. 

Katy Dorsheimer opened the door for Hilbert in 2005 while John Babocsi became Hilbert's first male winner in 2015. 

Stegmeier and Dorsheimer book-end Maggie Fage '10, Amber Grosch '13, Natalie Whitman '15 and Kylie Reinholz '16 as the other female Hilbert FAR Award winners.  

Please be sure to click the above link for a historical look at Hilbert College's All-Time Academic and Athletic Award lists.