Dionisio, VHS ’20 Grad, Honored At West Point

The Army West Point Athletics Association’s Academic Support team has selected sprint football senior Christian Dionisio, a 2020 graduate of Verona High School, as one of its scholar-athletes for the month of September.

Cadet Dionisio is a four-year member and two-year starter at outside linebacker on the Army West Point Sprint Football Team.

Last season CDT Dionisio was third on the team in tackles last season and recorded key tackles-for-loss in a victory over Caldwell University in the North Division title game. This victory propelled the team to the League Championship game. Dionisio is picking up where he left off last season with five tackles in a road victory against Mansfield on 23 SEP 23.

As a leader and top performer on the field, he is on track to make All-League honors and help the team win a league championship in the 2023 season. In recognition of his dedication and commitment to excellence on and off the field, CDT Dionisio was selected as the Weight Room Leader during the off-season. He monitored the safety and morale of the team throughout the spring semester. Christian worked together with the strength coach to oversee the quality of the lift program and had direct report authority to Coach West. Also, as an example of his outstanding leadership, he and his fellow Firsties on the team developed values-based themes for each game week. A gesture of how much his team respects Christian’s leadership, his teammates selected CDT Dionisio as the game captain for the Army Navy Star Game scheduled for October 6, 2023. The theme for that week is resilience. Dionisio will have the opportunity to address the team about what resilience means to him in the context of the Sprint Football Team.

In addition to his impactful contributions as a leader on the team, Cadet Dionisio is an exemplary scholar. He is nominee for the AY 2024 Fullbright Scholarship, Knight-Hennesy Scholarship, and the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship. He maintains a 3.844 academic GPA majoring in political science. Dionisio has been awarded the academic honor of Dean’s List in every semester during his cadet career. He also earned the Superintendent’s Award for Achievement and Distinguished Cadet award for Spring 2021. He is currently serving as a Platoon Leader in Company E2.

Sprint Football Head Coach Mark West adds, “Christian is a phenomenal football player. His ability to defend against the run game, yet also defend in space versus the passing game is outstanding. He was an All-League Honorable Mention performer in 2022 and I expect him to earn All-League honors this year as a Firstie. More importantly, Christian is an outstanding leader. He has extremely lofty expectations for himself, and he also holds others accountable. He is vocal when he needs to be but prefers to let his actions do his talking. He helps lead the defense with confidence and compassion, always setting the example in all he does. My vision for the team is to be the model athletic program for the Academy. Christian is the model cadet-athlete. Overall, Christian is one of the most well-rounded cadet-athletes in the Corps and is very deserving of this award.”