ECAC Announces DIII Men's Volleyball All-ECAC Teams and Major Awards
DANBURY, Conn. – The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) has announced its 2018 Division III Men’s Volleyball All-ECAC Team and Major Award Winners.
Sergio Figueroa Velez of Springfield College was voted as the Offensive Player of the Year, while teammate Eli Irizarry Pares garnered the award for Defensive Player of the Year. Hunter College setter Alec Helford collected the Rookie of the Year honor, with Springfield’s Charlie Sullivan rounding out the major awards with the Coach of the Year honor.
Figueroa Velez has had a special final season at Springfield College and powered the Pride to the top seed in this year's NCAA Division III Championship. Heading into Springfield's ninth-straight national semifinal appearance, Figueroa Velez leads the team with 244 kills, which have come at a .320 clip, while he also ranks second on the team with 154 digs and third on the team with 39 blocks. An American Volleyball Coaches Association All-America First Team honoree, the San Juan, Puerto Rico native has been tremendous from the end line this year, totaling 61 aces, which is the second most in single-season program history.
Irizarry Pares was also a key contributor to Springfield’s success this season. The Defensive Player of the Year had another dominant season and leads Springfield in digs with 198. In his junior season, he has appeared in 27 matches and 86 sets, totaling 17 kills to go along with 58 assists, both career highs.
Helford’s ECAC Rookie of the Year honor concludes his freshman campaign in which he was named ECAC South Rookie of the Week on three occasions. The setter proved to be a key player for Hunter College after guiding the Hawks to a perfect 8-0 conference record his freshman season. He registered a league-leading 1,052 assists, and his average of 10.04 assists per set currently leads all freshman in Division III and ranks 7th amongst the nation’s top setters. Furthermore, Helford has five of the CUNYAC’s Top 10 single-match highs for assists this season, including a 59-assist performance at Johnson & Wales University on January 26th.
For Sullivan, the honor of ECAC Coach of the Year is his second in the last three years and comes on the heels of leading Springfield to a 26-0 Division III record (28-2 overall). The Pride have been the top-ranked Division III team in the country for the past 29 AVCA polls and are looking to claim their fifth NCAA title. Springfield set a program-record with a 28-match winning streak spanning January 13 to April 7.
ECAC Division III Men’s Volleyball Major Awards and All-ECAC Selections
Offensive Player of the Year
Sergio Figueroa Velez – Springfield College, Sr.
Defensive Player of the Year
Eli Irizarry Pares – Springfield College, Jr.
Rookie of the Year
Alec Helford – Hunter College, Fr.
Coach of the Year
Charlie Sullivan, Springfield College
All-ECAC First Team
Ian Capp – Kean University, So.
Alex Li – New York University, So.
Mike Neary – Springfield College, Jr.
Sergio Figueroa Velez – Springfield College, Sr.
Eli Irizarry Pares – Springfield College, Jr.
Kyle Biggers – St. Joseph’s College-Long Island, So.
Landon Shorts – Stevenson University, Jr.
All-ECAC Honorable Mention
Stephen Roach – Baruch College, Sr.
Quinn Peterson – Juniata College, Jr.
Blake Hogan – Hunter College, Jr.
Joe Muir – Hunter College, Sr.
Shayron Taylor – Kean University, Sr.
Jared Warner – Kean University, Sr.
Neil Ferraro – New York University, So.
Corey Pieper – Rutgers University-Newark, Sr.
Joseth Irizarry Feliciano – Springfield College, Sr.
Kyle Jausta – Springfield College, Jr.
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Established in 1938, the ECAC is the nation's largest Conference, ranging in location from Maine to Georgia, and westerly to Missouri. The ECAC hosts numerous championships in men's and women's sports across Divisions I, II and III, offering opportunities for thousands of student-athletes. For more information, visit www.ecacsports.com.
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