Oct. 5, 2011

WILTON, Conn. - Villanova Men's Lacrosse freshman Mike Francia (Wilton, Conn./Wilton) has been named the 2011 Wilton Sports Person of the Year, as announced by the Fairfield (Conn.) County Sports Commission.

Francia earns the honor after a stellar prep campaign, setting a school-record 329 career points, guiding Wilton to a 2011 State Championship and being named a two-time All-American, All-State and All-FCIAC First Team selection. The remarkable achievements come after Francia battled Hodgkin's lymphoma as a child, going through nine months of chemotherapy before becoming cancer-free and making his way to Villanova University.

The Fairfield County Sports Commission announced its 2011 Sports Persons of the Year in each of the 15 communities the Commission serves. Honorees will be recognized at the annual Sports Night awards dinner on Monday, Oct. 17th at the Hyatt Regency Greenwich at 6 pm.

In each of the 15 communities, a committee headed by a town representative of the Commission selects a Sports Person of the Year. Each winner was deemed to have had the most positive impact in their sports community from Aug. 2010-Aug. 2011.

Francia and the men's lacrosse team will get the first taste of competition this Friday, Oct. 7th when the Wildcats face Navy in Annapolis, Md. at Rip Miller Field on the USNA campus. Game time is slated for 7pm.