The Cardinals are flying high. For the first time in nearly 10 years, York College athletes swept City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) Men’s Volleyball weekly honors of matches played Jan. 27-Feb. 2.
Two outstanding athletes, senior David Heyliger Jr. and freshman Sebastian Gomez, earned the title Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week, respectively. Gomez, a Queens native from Flushing and Benjamin N. Cardozo High School alumni, is York’s first CUNYAC Rookie of the Week honoree since 2020, when Heyliger Jr. earned the distinction twice.
This announcement marks the first time since 2016 that York College has earned two weekly awards, with Randy Adams earning Player of the Week and Jonathan Liao earning Rookie of the Week during the March 13-21, 2016 reporting period.
This is Heyliger Jr.’s fourth season at York College, and the senior led the Cardinals in a non-conference tri-match on Feb. 1 against City College of New York(CCNY) and Sarah Lawrence College. Heyliger Jr. recorded 21 total points during the Cardinal’s 4-set win over CCNY. Heyliger Jr.’s strong performance followed him in a match with tri-match host Sarah Lawrence College, with 11 kills and eight defensive digs.
As for the rookie to watch, Gomez’s debut match against CCNY yielded fruitful results: 10 kills, a tea high of five aces, and eight digs across four sets. In the game following against Sarah Lawrence, Gomez led the team with 16 kills.
