New Canaan’s Harry Stanton named state’s Athlete of the Year
Harry Stanton calls winning a national championship “the gift that keeps on giving.”
The former New Canaan High School lacrosse captain helped lead Wesleyan University to the 2018 NCAA Division III title a year ago this month. The post-championship celebration, however, still hasn’t ended for Stanton, who was honored Sunday afternoon by the Connecticut Sports Writers’ Alliance as its Male Athlete of the Year at the 78th Gold Key Dinner at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington.
In addition to the five recipients of the prestigious Gold Key — regarded as the highest sports award in the state — the dinner recognized individuals in several categories.
And in a year where a number of strong candidates were under consideration for the Bill Lee Male Athlete of the Year Award, Stanton was the choice of the state’s sports writers.
“It’s truly an honor just to see how big this event is and how many people came,” the 2014 NCHS graduate said shortly after receiving his award. “To be chosen as a representative of this event is pretty humbling.”
It’s certainly not hard to see why Stanton was selected. As a senior attack last year, he led Wesleyan with 60 goals and added 10 assists for a team-high 70 points. His last 15 goals came in Wesleyan’s five NCAA tournament victories, including six in its thrilling 19-18 victory over No. 1 and previously unbeaten RIT in the semifinals.
Stanton then capped his career by scoring two goals and assisting on a third as the Cardinals beat Salisbury in the national championship game at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., while earning the tournament’s Most Valuable Player award.
The three-time AllAmerican finished his sparkling career with 224 goals, the most in the 59-year history of the Wesleyan men’s lacrosse program, while his 287 total points ranks second all-time.
“It’s obviously a team sport and I received a lot of good passes and I just put it in,” he said. “We don’t win a national championship without all the guys on our team and all our coaches.
“The coolest part is we had a big senior class, 18 guys, and they’re all my best friends and everyone played a part in us winning the championship.”
Winning championships in nothing new for Stanton. At New Canaan, he helped the Rams capture back-toback FCIAC championships in 2012 and ’13—the last time a team other than Darien won the league crown—as well as three state runner-up finishes during his four years on Farm Road.
And just as he was at New Canaan, Stanton was a rare two-year captain at Wesleyan.
“We had 55 guys on our team and to have the 54 other guys look up to me was pretty special,” he told the crowd of over 200 in his acceptance speech. “It was about more than just lacrosse.”
One of those Wesleyan teammates was midfielder Cole Turpin, another 2014 New Canaan high grad.
“We played lacrosse in middle school growing up, then in high school for (head coach) Chip Buzzeo, and then we decided to play at Wesleyan together,” Stanton pointed out. “Now we live close to each other in New York and we always talk about our days with the Rams.
“The support we got from everyone in New Canaan was great. Coach Buzzeo was at the national championship game and so was (assistant coach) Bobby Rushton. That’s that New Canaan connection.”
There was another New Canaan connection on Sunday. Stanton sat at the head table right next to former New Canaan Ram John Marinelli, who was honored as the Coach of the Year in a Male Sport after guiding the Greenwich High football team to a state championship. Meanwhile, his father, New Canaan head football coach Lou Marinelli, a 2018 Gold Key recipient, was in attendance.
“Lou and John were both my gym teachers at New Canaan,” Stanton pointed out, before adding with a laugh, “Lou always tried to get me to come out for football.”
Instead, Stanton made his mark in lacrosse as he helped Wesleyan go 19-3 last season and 59-15 during his four years in Middletown, culminating with the program’s first national championship.
“To win my last game is pretty crazy,” he said. “As an athlete you play a hundred thousand games in your backyard and in organized leagues, and to say you won your last game is pretty cool.”
That last game was on May 27, 2018 and Stanton and the Wesleyan lacrosse program have been taking an extended victory lap ever since with all the accolades that have come their way. Sunday’s Athlete of the Year Award was one more stop.
“That’s why I say it’s the gift that keeps on giving.”