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Three former All-American players will receive the EIVA’s top individual honor.
The EIVA announced earlier this week that Penn State’s Javier Gaspar, Princeton’s Marin Gjaja and East Stroudsburg’s Santiago Restrepo were all selected to be inducted into the EIVA Hall of Fame.
“It’s a unique twist that each of this year’s EIVA Hall of Fame class had the privilege of playing for EIVA Hall of Fame coaches,” EIVA President Ron Shayka said in a statement. “It’s as if each one partnered with their coach to provide superior team leadership and excellence on the court that helped redefine their positions. Another thing that all three had in common was the fact that opponents always knew where these dominant players were on the floor.”
Gaspar was a three-time All-American who helped lead Penn State to the EIVA championship and NCAA Tournament in 1986 and 1987. In addition, Gaspar as a senior was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team after the Nittany Lions finished in third place.
Gjaja as a senior in 1991 became the first Princeton player in program history to earn All-American honors. He also played three positions throughout his college career — setter, middle attacker and opposite — and led the Tigers to a top-20 national ranking in the coaches poll in each of his final two seasons.
Restrepo earned All-EIVA honors in all four seasons he played for East Stroudsburg and was selected as an All-American as a senior in 1996. In addition, Restrepo after graduating served as the head coach of the East Stroudsburg men’s volleyball team from 1995-98 and is currently the head coach of the Oklahoma women’s volleyball team.
This is the fourth class added to the EIVA Hall of Fame.
The EIVA is only college men’s volleyball conference to have its own hall of fame to honor former players, coaches and contributors.
All three players will be formally inducted into the EIVA Hall of Fame during the EIVA Tournament championship match on May 1.