Stevens' David Lehman Tabbed UVC Player of the Year as League Announces Major Awards, All-Conference Teams
New Paltz, Stevens Lead the Way with Five All-Conference Selections Each
Stevens' junior
David Lehman was named the 2019 United Volleyball Conference Player of the Year as the league announced its major award winners and all-conference teams today. Lehman helped lead the Ducks to a 26-4 regular season record, including 8-1 in league play and the regular season title.
New Paltz and NYU led the way with two UVC First Team selections apiece. The regular season champion Ducks joined New Paltz with five All-Conference selections overall. To see the complete list of those recognized, please see below. The league's head coaches select the winners of the awards.
Also recognized with major honors were: MIT's
Thomas Nelson who earned Libero / Defensive Specialist of the Year, and St. John Fisher's
Josh Bigford and
Stephen England. Bigford was tabbed the Rookie of the Year, while England earned Coach of the Year honors.
CLOSER LOOK
Lehman had an outstanding season for Stevens as he leads the league in kills as he has recorded 327 over 85 sets played so far this season. His 3.85 kills per set is tops in the conference and his 4.29 points per set also lead the league. He recorded double-digit kills in 19 of the 23 matches in which he appeared, and he recorded 20 or more five times. The junior is currently hitting at a .322 clip and has added 89 digs and 59 blocks on the season. He was also named a First Team All-Conference selection after being named Second Team a year ago.
MIT's Nelson earns the conference's most prestigious defensive award for the second consecutive season after being tabbed last year as well. The junior has registered 199 digs over 78 sets so far this season, good for an average of 2.55 per set - second-best in the conference. He has hit double-digits in digs eight times so far this year, and has also posted 24 aces heading into the UVC Championship Tournament. He was also named an Honorable Mention All-Conference selection.
Fisher's Bigford made an immediate impact in his first year on campus, and was named Rookie of the Year by the league's coaches. The six-time rookie of the week selection is currently second in the league in both kills per set (3.56) and total kills (395). His 4.00 points per set is third-best as well. Bigford was also recognized as a First Team All-Conference selection.
Bigford's coach, Stephen England, was named the UVC Coach of the Year by his peers. England orchestrated a remarkable turnaround for the Cardinals as they finished the regular season with a record of 20-12, including 7-2 in UVC play. Their conference record earned them the No. 3 seed in the upcoming UVC Tournament, and they will take on No. 6 Vassar in the First Round on Friday night. A year ago, Fisher finished 13-16 overall, and 1-8 in league play. England had a pair of his student-athletes honored as Bigford earned Rookie of the Year and First Team accolades, while Mike Strumpfler earned Honorable Mention.
Player of the Year - David Lehman, Stevens
Libero / Defensive Specialist of the Year - Thomas Nelson, MIT
Rookie of the Year - Josh Bigford, St. John Fisher
Coach of the Year - Stephen England, St. John Fisher
1st Team All-Conference
Matthew Grace, New Paltz
Nick Smith, New Paltz
Neil Ferraro, NYU
Evan Lindley, NYU
Josh Bigford, St. John Fisher
David Lehman, Stevens
2nd Team All-Conference
Skyler Kaufman, MIT
Aaron Carrk, New Paltz
Nick O’Malley, New Paltz
Bradley Schneider, New Paltz
Jack Bittker, Stevens
Ryan Byrne, Stevens
Jacob Patterson, Stevens
Honorable Mention
Ryan McDonough, Elmira
Thomas Nelson, MIT
Alex Li, NYU
Mike Strumpfler, St. John Fisher
Jonathan Frenzel, Stevens
Ryan Duchemin, Vassar
Kevin Ros, Vassar
ABOUT THE UNITED VOLLEYBALL CONFERENCE
The UVC is a volleyball-specific conference that features ten member institutions. The conference was founded in 2010 and began play in January of 2011. The UVC holds fair play and respect among it's competitors to the highest regard and seeks to distinguish itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices.