Student-Athlete of the Week

Manhattan’s Clifford and Fairfield’s Bakaite Named Hercules Tires MAAC Student-Athletes of the Week

Edison, NJ (Mar. 22, 2023) – Manhattan’s Christian Clifford and Fairfield’s Paulina Bakaite have been named the Hercules Tires Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Student-Athletes of the Week.
 
Christian Clifford
Manhattan
Men’s Lacrosse
 
Christian Clifford is a three-time MAAC All-Academic team member and has been a key member of the Jaspers' defense during his career in Riverdale. The Slingerlands, N.Y. native was a Second Team All-MAAC selection last season and helped the Jaspers rank among the nation's best defenses. This season, the graduate student leads the Jasper defensive unit and scored his first career goal against NJIT. Clifford and the Jaspers have surrendered the fewest goals in the MAAC this season (57) and top the MAAC in man-down defense and scoring margin. Currently, Clifford is pursuing MBA, after graduating with his undergraduate degree in biology and minoring in chemistry. 
 
 
Paulina Bakaite
Fairfield
Women’s Tennis
 
A native of Vilnius, Lithuania, Paulina Bakaite currently holds the team lead with nine overall doubles victories in 12 matches played this season, in addition to a trio of wins in singles action with all three coming in topflight duels. In the classroom, Bakaite currently holds a 3.45 GPA while pursuing an M.A. in Marketing Analytics and Strategy from Fairfield University’s Dolan School of Business.
 
 
 
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 42nd year of competition during the 2022-23 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan College, Marist College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.
 
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