Brian Voelkel, of Pleasantville, NY, is making his presence known as a freshman at the University of Vermont. Photo by Shane Bufano, University of Vermont Athletics.
As if it weren’t a big enough accomplishment to earn a roster spot on a Division I basketball team, Pleasantville’s Brian Voelkel is already making major contributions in his first month as a freshmen forward for the University of Vermont Catamounts.
Voelkel grabbed 12 rebounds and dished off five assists Saturday, helping UVM to cruise past visiting New Jersey Tech. The Catamounts improved their record to 4-1. (Game story by Burlington Free Press staff writer John A. Fantino @JohnFantino on Twitter).
It was not Voelkel’s first big-time performance this season. In the team’s opener against Sienna (an 80-76 victory), the 6’6″, 210-pound Voelkel came within one assist and one point of recording Vermont’s first triple double since 2003. Voelkel scored nine points, grabbed 10 boards and recorded nine assists. The performance helped earn him America East Conference Rookie of the Week honors. Voelkel was featured in the Burlington Free Press on November 17.
Voelkel averaged 19 points, 13 rebounds and four assists last year as a senior for Iona Prep in New Rochelle. He is joined at Vermont by fellow Iona Prep grad Sandro Carissimo of Sleepy Hollow. Carissimo, a 6’2″, 170-pound freshman guard, has also been seeing some action for the Cats.
Iona continues its schedule Wednesday against visiting Dartmouth. For complete schedule, results and other UVM Basketball information, see the UVM Men’s Basketball page.
Reporter’s Notes – I have been a fan of the UVM basketball team for the past decade, and despite living more than four hours away, I usually get to see one or two games each season. Whenever Vermont is at home on Thanksgiving weekend, we make every effort to catch the game after celebrating the holiday with my mom, who resides in Vermont. Getting to see Voelkel and Carissimo play makes watching Vermont games even more enjoyable. I’ll try to keep tabs on them throughout the season.
I encourage anyone who has news on other Pleasantville-area athletes making an impact at the collegiate level to contact me at the following e-mail address: Chris@WestchesterSocialMedia.com.
