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Bowling Green State University Athletics
Photo by: JD Pooley
Tomic Adds Efrain Negron to Coaching Staff
March 14, 2016 | Volleyball
Bowling Green, Ohio – Bowling Green State University volleyball head coach Danijela Tomic announced today that Efrain Negron has joined the BGSU volleyball coaching staff effective immediately."I am excited to announce the addition of Efrain Negron to our staff. He came highly recommended from two people whose opinions I value very highly in Eve Rackham, my former assistant coach and the current associate head coach at North Carolina, and Matt Ginipro, head coach at Appalachian State with whom Efrain worked this past season," remarked Coach Tomic. "They both identified him as a very talented, hardworking, passionate, knowledgeable and high character young coach, which he showed during the interviewing process. Efrain is a perfect fit for our program at this point. He brings a lot of experience of playing as a libero at a high level, as well as coaching serve receive and defense. I can't wait to see him make an impact on our team in those areas."
Negron comes to Bowling Green from Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina where he was the volunteer assistant coach in 2015. Prior to joining the Mountaineers' coaching staff last year, Negron was an assistant coach for a year at Western Texas College in Snyder, Texas in 2014.
"First and foremost, I would like to thank Coach Tomic for giving me this unique opportunity to join the BGSU volleyball program. I also would like to thank Lauren Ashman, the players and other staff members with whom I spoke to during the interviewing process," stated Negron. "I am beyond excited to start and honored to be a part of the BGSU Family. I believe Coach Tomic has a clear vision on where the program should be heading and I look forward to contributing to its success immediately."
At Appalachian State, Negron assisted the coaching staff in all aspects of the program, including scouting, film break down, statistical analysis, and both practice and match preparation. He was also responsible for the training of the liberos and defensive specialists, as well as the team defense and serve receive during matches.
In his one year at Appalachian State, the Mountaineers went 22-8 overall, which included tying a program record 16-match win streak, and finished as the Sun Belt Conference (SBC) regular season runner-up with a conference record of 13-3. Earning the No. 2 seed in the 2015 Sun Belt Conference Championship Tournament, the Mountaineers advanced to the championship match before falling in five sets to the top seeded Arkansas State Red Wolves.
The Mountaineers finished the 2015 season ranked 43rd overall in the country and led the Sun Belt Conference in digs per set at 16.6 on the year, while senior libero Megan Mahoney ranked sixth in the SBC and 71st in the nation overall in digs per set with an average of 4.67, and finished the year ranked 80th nationally in total digs with 518.
Before his time at Appalachian State, Negron served as an assistant coach for one year at Western Texas College where he coordinated team travel and was responsible for the training of outside hitters, liberos and defensive specialists. He was also in charge of the team defense and serve receive during matches and assisted the head coach in scouting, video breakdown, statistical analysis and both practice and match preparation.
The Westerners finished the year ranked 45th in the NJCAA in digs per set at 15.14 per set and were 16th in the nation in total digs with 2,362 on the season.
As a player, Negron was a four-year starter at the libero position for Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, North Carolina from 2010-14, while also being a student assistant for the women's program from 2011-13.
Negron helped Lees-McRae, an NCAA Division II member, compete at the NCAA Division I level as a member of the Conference Carolinas, where he was a three-time all-conference player and became the all-time leader in program history for both digs and digs per set. During the 2012 season he finished fifth in the nation in digs per set, while during both his junior and senior seasons he ranked in the top-20 nationally.
In 2012, Negron traveled to Hawaii and Japan to compete in the 24th Asian Pacific Cup as a member of the USA volleyball team, giving him experience at the international level.
He was drafted in 2014 to play professionally by the Indios De Mayaquez of the Liga de Voleibol Superior Masculino in Puerto Rico.
Negron rounds out Coach Tomic's coaching staff, joining Alex DelPiombo who came to BGSU in February.
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