From University of Rochester Athletics
How long could you be perfect in your job? One hour? Two? Maybe four? Hugh Curran was perfect for nearly 10 hours and it's one of the reasons he has earned an honor for athletic and academic skill.
Curran has been elected First Team Academic All-District for Division III Men's Soccer by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). He advances to the national ballot for consideration as an Academic All-American.
In 2019, he was the starting goalkeeper for the men's soccer team at the University of Rochester. He played every minute of a 19-game schedule. The Yellowjackets were selected for the NCAA Division III playoffs and reached the second round of the tournament. Rochester finished 12-6-1.
Curran posted nine shutouts, the second-highest total for blanks in any previous men's soccer season. One of those shutouts came against Hanover College of Indiana in the opening round of the NCAA Division III playoffs. Rochester defeated Hanover, 1-0, but lost to Kenyon College, 2-1 in overtime, on a penalty kick in the second round.
Earlier in the season, Curran established a record for consecutive shutouts. From the end of a 2-1 loss to John Carroll University on September 1, to a 3-2 victory over Alvernia College of Pennsylvania on September 28, Curran posted six straight shutouts. He held foes off the scoreboard for 585 minutes and 20 seconds, nearly 10 hours in real time (9.75 hours).
For the season, he played 1,765:44, making 63 saves and registering a 0.87 goals-against average. Rochester did not play the 2020 season due to the pandemic. He was ranked #14 in Division III for total shutouts and was ranked among the top 100 goalkeepers for goals-against average, save percentage (.788), and goalie minutes played. He earned Second Team All-University Athletic Association honors and was named to the UAA All-Academic Team.
This is the second major academic/athletic honor achieved by Curran this year. In the fall, he was a designated as a Lysle "Spike" Garnish Scholar-Athlete. This award celebrates the top 10 senior student-athletes. It is given for a combination of athletic skill, academic achievement, and community service.
He graduated with a degree in Business: Business Analytics in mid-May. He will work for Accenture in Chicago. He was a member of the Varsity Student-Athlete Advisory Committee at Rochester since 2018. Curran did extensive research for Professor Gerald Gamm of the Political Science Department. He focused on analyzing the nineteenth century Congressional Record to evaluate the evolution of caucuses. He also studied historical newspapers to support a hypothesis the professor makes in a book he has been writing.