Nathan Jacques Named NECC Men’s Volleyball Rookie of the Year; Garcia Fernandez and Jacques Earn All-NECC Accolades

MANSFIELD, Mass.- Freshman Nathan Jacques (Casselberry, Fla.) of the Eastern Nazarene College men's volleyball team has been selected as the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Rookie of the Year, as the league office announced its end-of-season awards Tuesday. Junior Alejandro Garcia Fernandez (San Juan, Puerto Rico) claimed All-NECC first team honors while Jacques garnered All-NECC second team honors. Junior Christopher Gil (Lawrence, Mass.) represented the Lions on the NECC Del Malloy Sportsmanship Team.

Garcia Fernandez picks up his third career All-NECC first team nod. Jacques becomes the second player in program history to collect NECC Rookie of the Year laurels, following in the footsteps of Garcia Fernandez who received the award in 2021.

Jacques racked up 527 assists to go with 105 kills and 129 digs in his first collegiate season. In conference action, he posted 109 assists and 22 service aces.

Garcia Fernandez paced the league with 54 service aces and ranked sixth in the NECC with 238 kills on the year. He also chipped in with 105 digs and 20 total blocks.

Gil saw action in 20 matches this season, including seven conference contests. He dished out 164 assists on the year to go with 30 digs and five aces.

Eastern Nazarene finished the regular season with a 17-12 overall record and grabbed the No. 3 seed in the New England Collegiate Conference Tournament with a 6-2 league mark. The Lions will host sixth-seeded Northern Vermont-Johnson April 11 in the NECC Tournament first round.