NEW PALTZ — Another day, another committee appointment – or so it seems lately for SUNY New Paltz men’s volleyball standout Christopher Wright.
Already an at-large member of the NCAA Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), and a member of two NCAA SAAC subcommittees, Wright just learned that he has been appointed to the prestigious NCAA Olympic Sports Liaison Committee, effective September 1.
Wright, a Queens, NY native, will be one of only three student-athletes nationally to serve on the 14-member committee when his term begins in the fall. He will continue to serve this and the NCAA Legislation and The NCAA News project teams for the remaining length of his SAAC appointment, which expires in September 2003.
The NCAA Olympic Sports Liaison Committee was created in 1991 to provide a direct line of communication between the NCAA, the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the various amateur athletic governing bodies. The committee also studies and makes recommendations to the respective NCAA Management Councils that address issues involving student-athletes participating in international competition.
In January, Wright attended the NCAA Convention at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., where he was one of just 24 student-athletes nationally representing more than 400 Division III institutions. He is the current chair of New Paltz’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and has been an advocate locally for student-athletes since his arrival on campus in 1997.
A 1993 graduate of LaGuardia High School for the Arts in New York City, Wright spent four years in the United States Navy, where, among other things, he guided pilots landing military aircraft. In 1995, he was the starting middle blocker and one of just 10 servicemen worldwide selected to the exclusive All-Navy volleyball team. He was honorably discharged from the military in August 1997 with the title of Aviation Electronics Technician Third Class.
This past fall, Wright, a senior interpersonal/intercultural communications major with a minor in journalism, tried his hand at coaching, as a student assistant for New Paltz’s women’s volleyball team.
Since 1999, he has worked in New Paltz’s sports information office, and previously served the university’s athletic department as a games administration student coordinator and worker.
On the volleyball court, Wright has also been very visible. He is in his fourth season as a starter for New Paltz (17-4), which currently has the best record in Division III and is ranked fifth in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division III Poll. Two of the last three years Wright was selected to the All-Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) All-Star team.
Last March he was recognized as the AVCA’s Division III National Player of the Week, and he needed less than three years to surpass 1,000 career kills. Wright recently reached 1,500 career kills, and has also exceeded 350 digs and 100 service aces. He needs just two more blocks to reach 400 for his career.
Wright currently ranks fifth in Division III in hitting percentage (.455) and is 17th in kill average (3.54).
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Note to editors: Photos of Christopher Wright can be downloaded from the SUNY New Paltz web site at http://www.newpaltz.edu/news/images/wright.html.
