WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – First-year athletes Laci Davis (Prospect/Woodland Regional), Zachary D'Andrea (Wallingford/Mark T. Sheehan), Tanner Drobish (Wallingford/Mark T. Sheehan) and Grace Saldaña (Colchester/Bacon Academy) have been selected as the Eastern Connecticut State University athletic department's top rookies for 2023/24.

In a balloting of the department's head coaches and support personnel, Davis was selected as the Individual Sport Female Rookie-of-the-Year, D'Andrea the Individual Sport Male Rookie-of-the-Year, Drobish the Team Sport Male Rookie-of-the-Year and Saldaña the Team Sport Female Rookie-of-the-Year. Davis competed in track & field, D'Andrea in track & field and cross country and Drobish and Saldaña in lacrosse.

Davis becomes the sixth member of the women's track & field program in the last ten years to be selected for the award, D'Andrea the second cross country/track & field male in 13 years, Drobish the second male lacrosse player --  first since 2023 Alumni Hall of Fame goalie Kyle Savage in 2005/06 -- in the 23-year history of the award; and Saldaña the seventh female lacrosse recipient but only the third (second straight) to receive the award on the merits solely of lacrosse.

Candidates for the individual sports awards came from the men's and women's cross country, track & field and swimming programs and from the men's golf program while the team sport award-winners were selected from the men's and women's soccer, basketball and lacrosse programs, field hockey, baseball, softball and women's volleyball programs. Last year's winners included Dominick Dao (men's basketball)  Natasha Frisch (women's swimming and track & field),  Sam Hurlburt (men's swimming) and Alexa Vizzini (women's lacrosse). Laci Davis
Individual Sport – Female
Track & Field
 
Indoor
-Won the triple jump title at the Little East Conference Championships
-All-LEC (second place) with the 4x400m relay at the LEC Championships
-All-Rookie (first freshman finisher) in the triple jump at the LEC Championships     
Outdoor
-Won the triple jump title at the LEC Championships
-Member of the winning 4x400m relay at the LEC Championships
-All-Rookie (first freshman finisher) in the triple jump at the LEC Championships
-4^th-longest (tie) triple jump in program history
 
Zachary D'Andrea
Individual Sport – Male
Cross Country / Track & Field
 
Cross Country
-Team's top freshman
-Finished 44^th among 91 finishers at the Little East Conference Championships
Finished 118^th among 173 finishers at the NCAA Mideast Regionals                 
Indoor
-At the LEC Championships, was All-LEC (top 3 individuals and relays) at 800m (2^nd place) and with the 4x800m relay (2^nd place) and All-Rookie (1^st freshman finisher) at 800m.
- Was All-New England (top 8 finishers) with the record-setting 4x800m relay at the NE DIII Championships.
-Won at 800m in a field of 28 at the Wesleyan Invite
Outdoor
-At the LEC Championships, was All-LEC (top 3 individuals and relays) at 800m (2^nd place) and with the 4x800m relay (2^nd place) and All-Rookie (1^st freshman finisher) at 800m.
- Was All-New England (top 8 finishers) with the record-setting 4x800m relay at the NE DIII Championships.
-Won the 800m in a field of 18 at the ECSU Invitational

Tanner Drobish
Team Sport – Male
Lacrosse
 

-Started 16 of the team's 17 matches at attack
-Led the team in goals and points and was tied for third in assists
-Had at least 1 point in 14 of 17 games
-Had 4 goals in his second collegiate game and later had season-highs of 5 goals and 7 points



Grace Saldaña
Team Sport -- Female
Lacrosse
 

- 1^st first-team All-LEC defender as a 'true' freshman  in program history
- Only player to start all 18 matches
- Shared team lead in GBs and was 2^nd with 22 caused turnovers
- Had multiple GBs in 13 matches, with a season-high 6 coming vs. UMass Dartmouth