ALEX KAGORO, MESSIAH UNIVERSITY, OH, SR.

• Kagoro is the second Messiah student-athlete to earn AVCA Player of the Year honors; the other was Mason Nissley in 2021.
• The Irondequoit, N.Y., native enjoyed a brilliant year, averaging a Division III-leading 4.78 kills per set and 5.36 points per set, which is third on the DIII lists this season.
• He reached double-digits in kills in 21 of the Falcons’ matches, including a career-best 27 in a four-set win over Randolph-Macon Feb. 28.
• Earlier this season, the outside hitter tallied his 1,000th career kill in a Messiah uniform.
• Kagoro helped the Falcons post a 26-6 record and advance to the regional finals in the 2026 NCAA Championship.
• He picked up AVCA First-Team All-America honors for the second season in a row and also was the 2026 Middle Atlantic Conference Player of the Year and this year’s AVCA Region III Player of the Year.

2026 Stats: 83 Sets Played, 5.36 Points/Set, 397 Kills, 4.78 Kills/Set, 27 Aces, .294 Hitting %, 89 Digs, 37 Blocks

 

AVCA NCAA DIVISION III PLAYERS OF THE YEAR

2004: Kenny Eiser, Juniata College
2005: Ricky Ziegler, Juniata College
2006: Chris Schmidt, New York University
2007: Matt Werle, Juniata College
2008: Bryan Shires, University of California,  Santa Cruz
2009: Andrew Cranford, Stevens Institute of Technology
2010: AJ Nally, Springfield College
2011: Cal Palumbo, Springfield College
2012: Randy Hansen, Carthage College
2013: EJ Wells-Spicer, Nazareth University
2014: Jimmy O’Leary, Springfield College
2015: David Evans, Stevens Institute of Technology
2016: Christian Smith, SUNY New Paltz
2017: Luis Vega, Springfield College
2018: Sergio Figueroa Velez, Springfield College
2019: Matt Reinsel, Carthage College
2020: Brennen Brandow, Springfield College
2021: Mason Nissley, Messiah University
2022: Jarrett Anderson, Springfield College
2023: Andrew Kim, Vassar College
2024: Jacob LaBouliere, Wentworth Institute of Technology
2025: Christian Sheaffer, Southern Virginia University
2026: Alex Kagoro, Messiah University