(Release courtesy of the NECC)
MANSFIELD, MASS. — Endicott College men's volleyball student-athlete Nikolas Kasprzak (Windham, N.H.) has been tabbed the 2021-2022 New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Male Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The award recognizes athletic and academic successes, while also factoring in leadership and community service components. The winner is determined by a vote of the conference's Athletic Directors.
Kasprzak is the first student-athlete in program history to receive NECC Male Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors.
Kasprzak has made an impact on the Endicott community since he stepped foot on the Beverly, Massachusetts campus. He is a captain in Endicott's L.E.A.D (Leaders of the Endicott Athletic Department) program, which promotes exceptional leadership from all members of the department.
Endicott men's volleyball head coach George Chapell '08 has witnessed the development of Kasprzak's leadership skills firsthand.
"Nik has grown as a leader immensely since his freshman year," said Chapell. "As someone who has always been comfortable in his own skin, he has developed a unique ability to command the respect of others without saying too much."
The middle blocker has been a leader on the court for the Gulls, expecting everyone to give their all each time they stepped out on the court. Explains Chapell, "He was able to demand a lot of his teammates and holds himself to as high, if not a higher, standard."
Kasprzak certainly held up his end of the bargain, as the team captain, he helped lead his squad to two NECC titles over the course of three seasons. He was the NECC Rookie of the Year in 2020, earning first-team All-NECC accolades in a season that was shortened due to COVID-19 restrictions. In his second season, he earned second team honors as Endicott won the NECC Championship.
Most recently, he took home the NECC Defensive Player of the Year award, leading the league with 0.98 blocks per set and compiling a league-leading 85 total blocks. Kasprzak garnered another second team All-NECC honor as Endicott won its third-straight title.
His high standards didn't end when he entered the classroom. The business management major has earned the Dean's List distinction at Endicott in each of his eligible semesters, an honor bestowed upon those with above a 3.5 GPA. He has also been named NECC Academic All-Conference twice, given to student-athletes with above a 3.4 GPA.
Kasprzak also earned the Endicott Athletics Senior Scholar-Athlete Award, which is the highest academic award for a student-athlete at the institution.
Outside of the classroom, Kasprzak is a member of the Endicott Marketing Club, which is a campus chapter of the American Marketing Association. The goal of the club is to advance students' knowledge and professional networks in all aspects of marketing. Kasprzak has used this knowledge, along with his entrepreneurial spirit, to co-found an advertising and marketing start-up called Launch Partners, LLC. Along with co-founder and fellow Endicott student-athlete Ryan Curley (Marshfield Hills, Mass.), Kasprzak has worked incredibly hard to bring this dream to fruition, often working odd jobs to help with start-up costs. In the past year, the company, billed as a "one-stop-shop for marketing needs and solutions", has completed marketing projects for clients from 10 different sectors.
Kasprzak and Curley work closely with Endicott's FUEL Club, which provides business knowledge and guidance to student entrepreneurs. As they gained confidence as business leaders, the duo put their company to the test, competing in FUEL' Spark Tank — a competition based on the popular television show Shark Tank — where student entrepreneurs compete for start-up funding. Launch Partners took home the second place prize- earning $3,000 dollars to put towards expanding their company.
Kasprzak is ready to embrace the future. He graduated from Endicott early, completing his degree in only three years. Though Kasprzak has completed his undergraduate degree, he won't be flying too far from The Nest as he will return to Endicott to complete his MBA and will serve as a graduate assistant for Endicott's Angle Center for Entrepreneurship.
In three short years, Kasprzak has left his mark on the athletic department, the campus, and the community. His influence at Endicott will not fade anytime soon.
"Nik's positivity and upbeat spirit positively impacted our community daily. His legacy will remain long beyond his time with the team," said Chapell. "We are lucky that he chose to be a Gull."
ABOUT THE NECC
The NECC began competition in the 2008-09 academic year and current member institutions compete across 16 sports. The NECC membership focuses on providing athletic competition among institutions that share similar academic aspirations and are committed to the importance of the total educational experience for students engaged in sport. For more information, please visit neccathletics.com.
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(Photo Credit - Ryan Atkins '23)
