Apr 22, 2020 3 min read

The University of Dayton athletics department honored Connor Bruce of McMurray as the school’s 2020 Rookie of the Year.

The distinction was announced during the eighth annual R.U.D.Y.S. awards event held on the Flyers’ social media platforms. R.U.D.Y.S. stands for Recognition and celebration of University of Dayton Student-Athletes Year-end Showcase.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Flyers announced all the winners on its Twitter and Instagram accounts, rather than at a banquet. Typically, the formal event is hosted by the UD Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and Dayton Athletics administration for the student-athletes to recognize individuals and teams for their accomplishments of the past year.

“I want to start off by saying how honored and humbled I am that I have been chosen ROTY,” said Bruce. “I know that there are so many other deserving athletes for this award and it does mean a lot that I have been chosen for it.”

The Peters Township graduate was selected based on his accomplishments in tennis. As the Flyers’ No. 1 singles player, he posted a 10-6 overall record. The 5-11 freshman won eight of his final 10 singles matches and posted a 3-1 record in all of his Atlantic 10 matches. Named A-10 rookie of the week five times, Bruce also won six matches at No. 1 doubles with his partner Joe DeMarco.

Bruce noted the award proved a yardstick for his progress as well as the team’s improvement. Bruce was 8-5 and the Flyers were 6-7 this spring when the remainder of the season was canceled because of the coronavirus crisis.

“It shows that work does pay off and I will continue to work hard on and off the tennis court to help Dayton strive for greatness,” said the 19-year-old son of Robert Bruce.

Bruce acknowledged all those who contributed to his honor. He said the athletic administration and its staff enabled the season to “run smoothly” for himself and his teammates. He thanked Casey Cattrall as the strength and conditioning coach pushed him and helped the team become stronger so as to compete at a high level. He praised Ryan Meyer for being a great coach and pushing the squad in practice so the Flyers could successfully face their opponents. Most of all, Bruce was appreciative of his teammates.

“They are all great guys,” he said. “We are all friends. We have each other’s back and we are there for each other whenever we need to be.”

Before arriving at Dayton, Bruce was there for Peters Township.

For three years, he was the No. 1 singles player for the Indians. Undefeated in his regular season matches, he became the only freshman in school history to win a WPIAL singles title in 2017. As a junior in 2019, he captured a PIAA doubles championship.

The two-year captain was a four-star recruit and ranked as high as No. 16 nationally during his scholastic career. A highest-honor student, Bruce graduated early and enrolled early at Dayton to commence his collegiate career and embark on his studies in operations and supply management.

Bruce comes from an athletic family. His mother, Marcy, was a PIAA champion at Mt. Lebanon High School and played tennis at the College of Charleston. His brother, Bruce, was a WPIAL golf champion. He currently plays at Penn State. His sister, Marra, combined with Kat Wang to win WPIAL and PIAA doubles titles last fall. The Lady Indians were also district team champions.