BURLINGTON, Vt. — Stony Brook men's soccer standout Alejandro Fritz was honored as the 2015-16 America East Man of the Year Tuesday evening at the conference’s annual awards dinner in Burlington, Vt. The honor recognizes the conference’s senior male student-athlete who has best distinguished himself throughout his collegiate career in the areas of academic achievement, athletic excellence, service and leadership.
The conference’s Senior Woman Administrators narrowed the pool of nine institutional Man of the Year nominees down to three finalists on May 23, and chose Fritz as the conference winner. The other finalists were University at Albany student-athletes Justin Berger and Peter Hooley.
To be nominated, student-athletes must have completed intercollegiate eligibility in his primary sport by the end of the 2016 spring season, received his undergraduate degree prior to the conclusion of the summer 2016 term and had a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 2.500 (4.000 scale).
A Stony Brook graduate, Fritz excelled in all facets of college life embodying the conference’s three pillars of the complete student-athlete. The second-straight Seawolf to be named Man of the Year joining Eric Speakman, Fritz graduated in December with a 3.73 GPA as a dual major in applied mathematics & statistics and economics. A four-year member of Stony Brook's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, he was one of just 50 America East student-athletes named a Presidential Scholar-Athlete this year and was also a two-time America East All-Academic honoree in men's soccer.
Fritz devoted himself to many causes on Long Island and volunteered as a PACK mentor, Red Watch Band member and Relay for Life and also helped plan Stony Brook’s You Can Play events.
Athletically, Fritz was a four-year member and two-time captain of Stony Brook men’s soccer team and an All-Conference performer in 2014.
This is the third year the conference bestowed the Man of the Year award after Speakman earned the honor in 2015 and Maine's Kelton Cullenberg won the inaugural award in 2014. The America East has awarded a Woman of the Year since 2006 with the winner moving forward for a chance to be named the NCAA Woman of the Year. Athletic Directors and administrators at the nine America East institutions voted to begin awarding a Man of the Year in the summer of 2013.
About America East: The America East provides its member schools and their athletic programs a platform upon which student-athletes can achieve both collegiate and life success through the promotion and nurturing of athletic excellence, academic achievement and leadership, on and off the field.