BOSTON – The Hartford men's soccer team placed four Hawks among the America East's All-Conference honorees, the conference announced Thursday. Midfielders Patrick Gryczewski and Olivier Sylvain were named to the league's All-Rookie Team, while sophomore goalkeeper Rotem Fadida and senior back Nick Benjamin earned spots on the All-Academic Team.
 
Gryczewski turned in a breakout performance during his first season at Hartford. Starting in 16 of the 17 games in which he appeared, the freshman from Plainville, Conn., ranked third on the team with six points (2 goals, 2 assists). Both of his goals came during the same match, against Yale (Oct. 5), which led to him earning Rookie of the Week honors. Gryczewski became the first Hartford freshman to score twice in the same game since Jeff Tryon recorded a hat trick against UMass Lowell on Nov. 6, 2013.
 
Sylvain, who hails from Montreal, also turned in a strong rookie campaign for the Hawks. In addition to starting all 17 games, he led the team with 1,584 minutes played. Ranking second on the club with 25 shots, Sylvain netted his lone goal of the season during Hartford's 3-1 victory at Stony Brook (Oct. 2), garnering America East Rookie of the Week recognition in the process.
 
Hailing from Stonington, Conn., Benjamin took home All-Academic Team honors for the second consecutive year. He is a two-time America East Commissioner's Honor Roll recipient, making the Dean's List five times and the President's List once during his Hartford career. Benjamin owns a 3.63 GPA and will graduate with a degree in Criminal justice.
 
On the field, Benjamin was an indispensable piece of the Hawks' defense. Starting all 17 games, he ranked third on the team with 1,555 minutes and contributed to both of Hartford's shutouts against Central Connecticut (Sept. 14) and Dartmouth (Sept. 28).
 
Fadida was named to the All-Academic team for the first time in his young career. In addition to earning America East Commissioner's Honor Roll accolades in 2020-21, the Haifa, Israel native is also a four-time member of Hartford's President's List and Dean's List. A business analytics and managerial economics major, Fadida has posted a 3.98 GPA.
 
Fadida was just as productive on the pitch. He ranked first among America East goalkeepers during the 2021 regular season, finishing with a league-best 64 saves, including a career-best 10 against Vermont on Oct. 13. In addition, Fadida ranked sixth in save percentage (.696) and second in saves per game (2.86). Anchoring both Hartford shutouts this season, he also helped lead a defense that allowed one goal or less in nine of 17 matches and claimed America East Defensive Player of the Week honors on Oct. 4.
 
The Hawks concluded their season on Monday with a 2-0 setback against NJIT, finishing with a 2-6-0 America East record and falling just short of qualifying for the conference playoffs.  
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