Flushing, N.Y. – The City University of New York Athletic Conference, in partnership with Con Edison have named the 2011-12 Men’s Volleyball All Stars. Regular Season winner and Championship runner-up Hunter College took home the Player of the Year and Coach of the Year awards with outstanding years by Senior Christopher Newcomb and Coach Ray Bello. York College's Edner Geffard was selected as the Rookie of the Year and Brooklyn College’s Gene Tom received the Sportsmanship Award.
The Hawks and the Baruch College Bearcats each earned three of the six spots on the CUNYAC/Con Edison first team. Both teams have earned berths in the inaugural NCAA Division III Championship, which begins Saturday, April 21st.
Newcomb was superb throughout the season for the Hawks, garnering two CUNYAC/Con Edison Player of the Week awards and one AVCA Division III Player of the Week award. He is 15th nationally with a .388 hitting percentage and 9th nationally with 3.72 kills per set.
"It was a real honor to receive the conference Player of the Year award;” said Newcomb. “I just worked hard all year and played focused. It's exciting to receive recognition for my efforts but what matters most is how I play on the court."
Bello, guided Hunter College to a perfect 14-0 conference record and five victories over ranked opponents this season to earn the distinction of Coach of the Year as decided by the conference's head coaches. Even after receiving the award, Bello was focused on the next step.
"I feel it's an honor to be a part in the first NCAA championships;” said Bello. “My team feels confident that we will do well and we will cherish this experience for the rest of our lives."
York College’s Freshman outside hitter, Edner Geffard, had a memorable breakout season for the Cardinals earning him the CUNYAC/Con Edison Rookie of the Year award. The Haitian was named the CUNYAC/Con Edison Rookie of the Week for 7 consecutive weeks to begin the season. He is tie for 15th nationally with 0.44 aces per set and holds sole possession of 7th nationally with 3.77 kills per set.
“I am happy to be recognized for playing well throughout the season;” said Geffard. “As a team, we worked hard to compete every day. It was tough to lose in the Semifinals but we are a young team. We are looking forward to improving on our performance next year.”
Gene Tom, a setter from Brooklyn College, was given the CUNYAC/Con Edison Sportsmanship Award. Tom helped pace the Bulldogs offense all year long, racking up a team-best 609 assists (7.81 A/Set), good for third in the CUNYAC, while playing in all 78 sets on the season.
“I am truly honored,” said Tom when notified on his award. “It is a wonderful feeling to be recognized by the other coaches. I really appreciate it. To me, sportsmanship means respect for the game and those who participate in the game.”
Complete List of Award Winners
Player of the Year: Christopher Newcomb, Hunter
Rookie of the Year: Edner Geffard, York
Sportsmanship: Gene Tom, Brooklyn
Coach of the Year: Ray Bello, Hunter
First Team
Steven Coniglio, Baruch
Vincent Cruz, Baruch
Jack McKee, Baruch
John Gemegah, Hunter
Stanley Martinez, Hunter
Braien Otsla, Hunter
Second Team
Alexander Shlivko, Brooklyn
Timothy Hui, Brooklyn (Libero)
Nicholas Siriban, CCNY
Eric Barty, Hunter
Brian Francisco, Lehman
Bryan Williams, York
