BY KEN MORSE
CITIZEN’S NEWS
Naugatuck graduating senior Dan Anderson, the 2024 Male Scholar Athlete of the Year, has a clear understanding and the right perspective about his achievements on the field of athletic competition, and his success in the classroom.
When it comes to athletics, Anderson received a good bunch of accolades. He was All-Iron Division in soccer, where he was a four-year goalie. He also earned All-NVL and All-State honors in track and field.
In the classroom, Anderson took on that same work ethic, earning a 4.498 GPA and will enter the University of New Hampshire in the fall to study mechanical engineering. He will also become a member of the Wildcats’ track and field team.
“It seems like a difficult thing to accomplish, managing athletics and success in the classroom,” said Anderson, “but it all comes down to trusting God’s plan for me and relying on my faith, because it’s all Him working through me.
“Time management is just a natural skill that you develop being a student-athlete. I know in college I will be challenged even more, but I’m very confident that I will be successful.”
Anderson has seen quite a bit of success as a Naugatuck Greyhound. He was a member of the indoor track team that won three straight NVL championships, and the outdoor team that has won the league four years in a row.
As a member of the outdoor track 4×400-meter relay team in his sophomore year, Anderson earned all-state honors when the quarter won the Class L title. In his senior year in indoor track, he won Class L’s 55 hurdles in a photo finish and earned all-state honors, quite the celebration for his birthday.
“This year, I didn’t put up the numbers that I was hoping for,” Anderson said, “but at the state open I did manage a PR time in the 300 that earned me fourth place, qualifying for the New England championship that was held on the campus of the University of New Hampshire.
“It sort of was a perfect ending to my high school career being at the place where I will be a collegiate athlete in the fall. I’m definitely going to miss the culture that coach (Ralph) Roper created at Naugatuck. And that is what I love about the sport, everyone supporting one another.”
Talking about support to achieve all that he has accomplished, Anderson didn’t miss the opportunity to share how grateful he was to the people who have helped him to get this point.
“I have been blessed throughout my education that I have had teachers that were willing to invest in my future,” Anderson noted. “They are just as much part of this success as every coach that has helped me to achieve all the athletic milestones that I have surpassed.
“It also goes without saying that, my parents have been a tremendous support throughout my life and it’s where I get my perspective from. It goes way beyond wins and losses and personal achievements in sports. They have instilled in me lessons that I can take with me my entire life and I’m so thankful for that.”
Anderson continued: “My dad (Robert) is always telling me that God gave us certain gifts and it’s not about the gifts, it’s what you do with them that counts. And that is one of the things I will miss about the brotherhood of being a Naugatuck athlete is learning to be a leader and setting that example.”
Anderson got the opportunity recently to play his last matches on the soccer field when he participated in the Elite Club National playoffs in San Diego, Calif. A three-year goalie for CFC (Connecticut Football Club) out of Bethany has given Anderson a special bond with a game that he will walk away from when he becomes a collegiate track athlete.