Hartford, Conn. - The fourth Bantams of the Week of 2020 fall season has been selected. With the postponement of intercollegiate competition for Trinity's fall teams, we will be honoring our fall senior student-athletes as Bantams of the Week. These athletes have been denied the opportunity to compete in their final traditional season by the COVID-19 outbreak, but are working hard and safely at practice to prepare for a final chance to compete as Bantams this spring. This week's honorees are football senior tri-captains James Christiano (Middlebury, Conn.), Jonathan Girard (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.), and Matt McCarthy (North Reading, Mass.) and seniors Jack Barrett (Holliton, Mass.), Ben Brooks (Bel Air, Md.), Dakota Foster (Hyattsville, Md.), Colin Beaulieu (Bethany, Conn.), Will Dencker (Newburgh, N.Y.), and Xavier Francis (Bowie, Md). Trinity Athletics created the Bantams of the Week award to spotlight two outstanding student-athletes who have performed at an extremely high level while representing the Bantams in varsity sporting competition.
Christiano, a two-time, All-NESCAC First Team honoree, was one of the league's top pass rushers and run stuffers for the Trinity defense that let up just 16.4 ppg (2nd in NESCAC) in 2019. He recorded 30 tackles (24 solo), three sacks (2nd on team), a team-high 11 tackles for loss (7th in NESCAC), a forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, and a batted pass last fall. A graduate of the Avon Old Farms School, Christiano is majoring in sociology at Trinity. He is the son of Michele Hlavna and James Christiano.
Girard, a two-time, All-NESCAC honoree, led the Bantams in receiving yards last fall with 754 (5th in NESCAC), and was second on the squad in pass receptions with 36 (7th in NESCAC) for 754 yards (5th in NESCAC) and six touchdowns (T4th in NESCAC). He averaged over 20 yards per catch (20.9) for the second year in a row, and was one of five NESCAC receivers with over 750 yards in 2019. Girard also led the league in receiving yards and yards per catch in 2018, finishing among the top 12 nationally in both categories. A graduate of the Trinity-Pawling School, Girard is majoring in sociology at Trinity. He is the son of Cheryl Beckles and Melvin Girard.
McCarthy starred in the secondary from the safety position for the Trinity defense that let up just 16.4 ppg (2nd in NESCAC) in 2019, and earned All-NESCAC recognition. He was tied for second on the team in pass breakups with four and third in tackles with 45 (22 solo), and also forced a fumble. A graduate of North Reading High School, McCarthy is majoring in political science at Trinity.
Barrett caught two passes for 26 yards and made a tackle as a tight end for the Bantams in 2019. He has three catches for 32 yards in three seasons. A graduate of Holliston High School, Barrett is majoring in political science at Trinity. He is the son of Allie and John Barrett.
Brooks appeared in five games at quarterback for the Bantams in 2019. He has completed six passes for 39 yards in three seasons. A graduate of Calvert Hall High School, Brooks is majoring in economics at Trinity. He is the son of Lisa and Casey Brooks.
Foster played in six games at wide receiver for the Bantams in 2019, and is a co-founder of Trinity's Athletes of Color Coalition. He has 12 catches for 196 yards and a touchdown in three seasons. A graduate of St. Alban's High School, Foster is majoring in public policy & law at Trinity. He is the son of Renee and Darren Foster.
Beaulieu rushed six times for 66 yards and a touchdown from the running back position, while returning six kickoffs for 122 yards and five punts for 49 yards on special teams for the Bantams in 2019. He led the NESCAC and finished 24th nationally with 26 yards per kickoff return in 2018, and earned NESCAC Special Teams Player of the Week honors for returning a punt for a touchdown against Hamilton that same autumn. A graduate of Amity High School, Beaulieu is majoring in economics at Trinity.
Dencker missed the 2019 season with an injury, after totaling 43 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, a sack, two forced fumbles, and a pass breakup in his first two years as a Bantam linebacker. He is a graduate of the Trinity-Pawling School.
Francis made nine tackles and broke up a pass in four games at linebacker for the Bantams in 2019. He has 28 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss in three seasons. A graduate of Georgetown Prep High School, Francis is majoring biochemistry at Trinity. He is the son of Tama and Greg Francis.
2020-21 Bantams of the Week
10/14 ~ Cami Beath (Women's Soccer)
10/7 ~ Ten Men's Soccer Seniors
9/30 ~ Three Volleyball Seniors
