Vogt named 2015-16 NEC Student-Athlete of the Year
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Following a solid year on both the court and in the classroom, senior Max Vogt (Fair Oaks, Calif.) of the Bryant University men's tennis team was named the 2015-16 Northeast Conference Student-Athlete of the Year, as announced by the league on Monday.
Vogt was chosen as the recipient of the award by a committee comprised of the NEC Commissioner Noreen Morris and the chair members of the NEC's SAAC, ADs, FARs and SWAs. All nominees were judged on their academic success, athletic accomplishments, community service involvement and their personal statement. Vogt was chosen from a pool of finalists from each school in the conference as the NEC's male award winner for exceeding the standards in all four categories.
The Golden State native was appointed alongside senior Debora Magalhaes (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) of the Bryant University volleyball team as the Bryant nominees. Magalhaes earned Second Team All-NEC, was a four-time NEC Defensive Player of the Week, two-time ECAC Libero of the Week and CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-District selection.
Vogt elevated his game in his final season in Smithfield to become Bryant's captain and occupied the No. 1 singles spot, finishing 6-7 at the head of the realm, including a 2-1 mark in NEC play. The California native partnered with sophomore Luke Lorenz (Colorado Springs, Colo.) for the second-straight season to go 9-8 in doubles, including a 4-5 mark at No. 1 and a 4-3 tally at No. 2. The senior captain's performance on the court earned him First Team All-NEC honors at No. 2 doubles.
This season, Vogt helped his Bulldogs to a 12-12 overall finish and 3-0 conference mark, earning the No. 1 seed in the NEC Tournament. In the league playoffs, Bryant swept No. 5 Wagner and No. 3 Saint Francis U., 4-0, 4-0, to capture the program's third-straight conference title. The NEC Championship victory bought the Bulldogs an automatic bid in the NCAA Tournament. The team earned its best big dance matchup, traveling to take on No. 16 Oklahoma State where they were defeated by the Cowboys, 4-0.
Vogt not only performed on the court this year, but also set an example for Bryant men's tennis through his hard work in the classroom and in the community. An Actuarial Math major, Vogt earned a 3.92 GPA in his final semester at Bryant while graduating with a 3.79 and was admitted to the Rhode Island chapter of Kappa Mu Epsilon. He was a Dean's List student every semester and is a four-year member of the NEC Commissioner's Honor Roll. Vogt has already passed two actuarial exams and upon graduating he began working at Willis Towers Watson in Boston, MA as an Actuarial Analyst.
The captain also earned the first annual Wally Camper Award which is given to a player who most embodies excellence in the classroom and on the court. At this year's Annual Bryant University Athletic Awards Banquet, Vogt took home the O'Hara Leadership Award and was men's tennis Bulldog Award winner.
Dating back to 2002-03 when the award was created, Vogt joins Kendayi Mawema as the only two Bulldogs to ever receive the NEC honor, making Vogt Bryant's first male athlete to be titled the Northeast Conference Student-Athlete of the Year.