The American Volleyball Coaches Association announced the third annual AVCA Best and Brightest Awards for Boys High School Senior student-athletes last week. 

The AVCA Best & Brightest Award is an award meant to honor individual high school Senior student-athletes who excel on and off the court.  Sacred Heart Cathedral volleyball players Ben Wiggins '25 and Sloan Dobson '25 each earned the AVCA First Team Best and Brightest Award.  To be eligible, senior student-athletes must have earned at least a 3.8 Unweighted/4.3 Weighted GPA during their junior year AND play in 50% of their varsity team's sets during their senior season. 

Coach Nga Tran was quick to praise both players. 

"Ben became a phenomenal leader for the program. While injured and overcoming his own adversity, he could have disconnected himself from the team, however, it was the opposite. He engaged and was the daily word of inspiration for the team. It was an emotional moment for the program when he stepped onto the court for the first time during the middle of the season. Ben also won the teams Service Award."

"Sloan is a 4 year varsity starter and in each year, he has been an impact player. He has earned Freshman Player of the Year, Coaches Award, WCAL First Team twice, and the team's Commitment Award. Sloan led the team in kills, and was 2nd overall in team assists and digs. He's the ultimate teammate…supportive, leader, hard working. He always looks on the positive side of things, keeps the team focused, and believes that he can always turn things around no matter how dire the situation."

Congratulations to both players. GO IRISH!