SXU Student-Athlete Named First-Team All-American
Saint Xavier University (SXU) sophomore Jan Lopuch was named an NAIA Men's Volleyball First-Team All-American at the conclusion of the 2023-2024 season. It's the second time that Lopuch has been named an All-American after receiving an Honorable Mention during his freshman year.
To add to the plethora of accolades in just his second year at SXU, Lopuch was named to the All-American Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) First Team while also achieving the status of CCAC Player of the Year.
"It's an honor to be named an All-American. The way I played changed this year, so it's always nice to get an accomplishment like this. When I think about it, it gives me so much positive energy and so many positive feelings. It's something I will never forget about my sophomore year -- that I earned these awards and now I have all these memories with the team," Lopuch said.
In 31 matches, Lopuch led the team with 40 service aces, and he has the best reception percentage at .963 on 627 attempts. Lopuch was No. 2 in kills with 361, attack percentage at .351, and points with 431.5. He is No. 3 in digs with 146, while adding 50 blocks and 22 assists.
"Many people have said I've made huge progress compared to last year and maybe it isn't shown in the stats directly, but I can really feel the different energy and the change in confidence coming from me on the court," Lopuch said.
Lopuch came from Poland to Chicago in pursuit of his athletic and academic endeavors. With interest in becoming a sports manager after hopefully playing professional volleyball in Europe, Lopuch found Saint Xavier was the ideal place for him to major in sports and fitness administration while also perfecting his volleyball skills.
"After SXU, I would like to play volleyball competitively in Europe. That was my goal before coming to the U.S., but my degree will help me with my career after volleyball. I would like to be a sports manager for young players in Poland. One of my goals is to help people and help young players maximize their potential," Lopuch said.
While chasing a dream outside of one's home country can be a huge risk, Lopuch has found that moving to SXU has been one of his best decisions. His scholarship gave relief to his parents when paying for tuition and allows him to chase an education he may not have had access to in Poland.
"My academic journey has been awesome so far. Getting a degree from SXU is a dream, because in Poland, I don't have anyone in my family or in my close friend group who went to the U.S. to study. It's like winning the lottery. I have professors that I really like, and they helped me to stay motivated and to keep doing good work that results in good grades and a good GPA," Lopuch said.