Former Rhinos, now both Huskies, are making major impacts at UConn. On the men’s soccer side, the team returned to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2018, earning the No.13 seed. The Huskies reached the Sweet 16, before falling to Maryland 3–0. Preston Alessio ’25 was the fifth-leading scoring this season, notching three goals, along with four assists for 10 points on the year. Alessio also scored the game winner in the Big East semifinal game against Akron to send the Huskies to the championship.

On the football side, Skyler Bell ’21 has emerged as one of the nation’s top wide receivers, being named a finalist for The Biletnikoff Award, which is awarded annually to the most outstanding receiver in college football. Bell is not only the only the first UConn player to be selected as a finalist for a national individual award, he could also become the first non-power conference player to win the Biletnikoff since Randy Moss. The Huskies wrapped up the regular season on November 22 against FAU, and will face the Army Black Knights in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl on Saturday, December 27 at 2:15 PM at Fenway Park in Boston.

After a statistically historic season for UConn, Bell finished the year with 101 catches for 1,278 yards and 13 touchdowns — setting a school record for both touchdowns and receptions with those numbers. After such an impressive season, Bell tacked onto his accomplishments by being named to the AP All-American First Team — the first to do so in UConn football history. He was also invited to the Panini Senior Bowl and the East-West Shrine Bowl. To read more about Bell’s historic season, click here.

Originally posted December 3, updated December 16

Photos Courtesy of UConn Athletics