Lexington, Ky. - April 23, 2012 - First-year Angel Perez was named the America Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Newcomer of the Year, and joined teammate Greg Falcone on the AVCA Division III Men's All-America First Team.Falcone headlines this year’s recipients as the only three-time AVCA All-American after being selected to the Second Team in 2010 and 2011. As for Perez, this marks just the third time in program history that a student-athlete was named the AVCA Division III Newcomer of the Year. Former standouts AJ Nally and Cal Palumbo earned the honors in 2007 and 2008.
A 6-8 middle blocker from Lindenhurst, N.Y., Falcone was instrumental in leading the Pride to a program record 30 victories and the top seed in the NCAA Championship Tournament. Falcone ranks fourth in the country averaging 1.36 blocks per set, but was just as dominant on the offensive end. He held a .514 attack percentage while racking up 172 kills and leads Springfield in service aces with 31.
A freshman from Naranjito, Puerto Rico, Perez made his first season at Springfield a memorable one. The 6-1 outside hitter was a dynamic offensive weapon for the Pride, hitting .341 on the season with 226 kills. He also totaled 137 digs and 56 blocks and was named to two different All-Tournament teams including earning the Volleyball Hall of Fame/Morgan Classic MVP award.
With eight national championships to his credit, Charlie Sullivan will enter his 16th season as head coach of the men's volleyball team in 2014. In 15 previous years at the helm, Sullivan owns an overall record of 256-158 for a .618 winning percentage. Read more.