The CMS-ence of Connor Sinclair

CLAREMONT, Calif. - Senior Connor Sinclair has been a regular member of the defensive line rotation throughout his career for CMS football (home opener tomorrow at 1 p.m. vs. Pacific Lutheran), helping the Stags to a SCIAC title and their first-ever NCAA Division III appearance last year. Off the field, he has made the most of his liberal arts education at Claremont McKenna, holding down a dual major in economics and film studies while earning SCIAC All-Academic Team honors.

Sinclair battled through injury last year to help the Stags to a 6-1 SCIAC record, sharing the league title with Redlands and earning the league's automatic bid due to its 20-10 head-to-head win at Redlands. He said that team had a special chemistry, which he sees in this year's team as well as the Stags try to make it two league titles in a row.  



"Winning another SCIAC title with this year's team would mean the world to me," Sinclair said "Last year, I was part of an incredible group of guys; a locker room that felt incredibly close. It felt like everybody was pointing towards the same direction, and I definitely have that feeling with this year's team as well. I'd love to win with these guys, who are my best friends and my brothers for life."

Sinclair has used his dual major for a variety of educational experiences, both financial and creative. He spent last summer as a production assistant intern at Drake's Brewing Company in the San Francisco Bay Area, performing data and regression analyses on the company's shipping and production methods.

Two years ago, he served as the co-director of the San Francisco Frozen Film Festival, which provided a screening platform for over 50 under-represented artists in the Bay Area. His duties included organization, media relations and promotion, creating digital designs and animation, and coordinating the festival's social media campaign. 

On campus, he has found an outlet for his creative skills as well. He has been involved for the last two-plus years with Free Food 4 Thought, a podcast which regularly invites influential speakers that visit Claremont McKenna's Athenaeum, providing an additional audience for speakers to people who can't attend their lectures. He also represented Claremont McKenna at the NCAA APPLE Conference in San Diego, which is dedicated to substance abuse prevention and improving student health and wellness. 

"Being a Stag has been greatly influential on my leadership abilities, and just my time management ability as well," he said. "It's been really fun to be a student-athlete with CMS, because I'm able to compete on the field aggressively, and also off the field with rigorous academics. I've really, really enjoyed the experience."

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