WILLIMANTIC, Conn   --  Max Fantl '10, who amassed countless national, regional, conference and institutional honors in helping power two programs to a total of seven Little East Conference regular-season and playoff titles and into four post-season tournaments, has been chosen for induction into the Eastern Athletics Alumni Hall of Fame, it has been announced by committee chair Scott Smith.

Fantl is the second announced member of the five-person Hall of Fame Class of 2026, following the announced selection of Adrianna Mihalek '17, a four-time All-LEC women's volleyball selection and the program's current career leader in kills.

The 32nd induction ceremony  is scheduled for October 17, 2026 at 5 p.m. at the campus's Fine Arts Instructional Center's Concert Hall and Lobby, with a social to follow. For ticket information, contact Scott Smith at 860-465-4326 or at smithsc@easternct.edu.

As a four-year starter at forward in men's soccer from 2006-2009, Fantl is one of the program's three four-time All-Little East Conference selections – one of two to be named to the first team as many as three times – who helped the Warriors to a four-year overall record of 49-21-13 (17-4-7 LEC regular season), two LEC regular-season and two LEC playoff titles and three post-season tournament berths. The Warriors lost only four of 28 LEC regular-season matches, losing exactly one LEC regular-season match each season in Fantl's career.

As a midfielder in lacrosse from 2007-2010, the West Hartford native also helped the Warriors to two LEC regular-season titles, and one LEC playoff championship which resulted in an NCAA tournament and produced the program's first NCAA victory – a 10-9 overtime decision at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. With the 5-foot-11 inch, 180 pound speedster, the men's lacrosse program was 45-25 overall (24-2 LEC regular-season), winning 16 LEC regular-season matches at one point and posting two unbeaten LEC regular seasons.

In eight seasons of soccer and lacrosse, none of Fantl's teams lost more than one LEC regular-season contest in a season and amassed a combined conference and non-conference record of 94-46-13 for a winning percentage of 65.7 percent.

While Fantl was a solid performer in the lacrosse program which featured one Alumni Hall of Famer and three All-Americas teammates, he truly excelled  in soccer under former head coach Frantz Innocent as a freshman and in his final three years under current head coach Greg DeVito. Each year in soccer, he led the club in points and goals and was also the team leader in assists as a junior in 2008.  He currently holds two of the top ten marks in a season for both points and goals and his eight goals as a junior equal the eighth-most in a season in program history.

In soccer, Fantl currently ranks third all-time in points (118), third in goals (49), 12th in assists (20), tied for third in appearances (83) and tied for fifth in starts (78). He never missed a match in his career and started all 22 matches as a junior and senior and 64 of a possible 65 in his final three seasons.

In addition to earning All-LEC honors  all four years in soccer, Fantl was a three-time USC All-Region performer (twice named to the first team), two-time LEC Offensive Player-of-the-Year on the strength of back-to-back 40-point seasons as a junior and senior. As a freshman in 2006, he was named LEC Rookie-of-the-Year, and as a senior captain, was recognized as ECAC New England Player-of-the-Year and first-team All-ECAC.

Fantl's on-field accomplishments were matched only by his academic excellence. An LEC All-Academic in all three seasons of eligibility, Fantl, as a senior co-captain in soccer in 2009, was honored as only the program's second first-team USC Scholar All-America (first first-teamer in 22 years) as well as first-team USC Scholar All-Region and College Sports Information Directors (CoSIDA) first-team All-District.

As a junior on the 2009 lacrosse team which won the LEC regular season and playoff titles, set a program record for matches (19) and tied the record for wins (15), Fantl was named second-team All-LEC at midfield. That year, he picked up a season-high 30 ground balls (before tying that mark as a senior) for a team ranked eighth nationally in that category. In similar fashion to soccer, Fantl was a mainstay on the field in lacrosse, appearing in 68 of a possible 70 matches, appearing in every match three times. He currently ranks in a tie for ninth all-time in career appearances.

As a senior, Fantl was voted as both the department's Male Athlete-of-the-Year (the only one of four lacrosse winners of the award earning the honor outright) and as recipient of the prestigious Francis E. Geissler Senior Male SportsPerson-of-the-Year, the latter honor recognizing integrity, leadership, sportsmanship, and spirit.

Citing, by name, nearly a dozen Eastern coaches, teachers and administrators who were influential during his time at Eastern, Fantl noted that "these mentors, coaches and teachers all pushed me in a way that made me believe in myself in a different way than I had before. They instilled the highest quality mentorship and leadership that was infectious and made me feel like I belonged, like I could succeed, and like I could lead."

Fantl graduated with a B.S. Degree in Physical Education and Health and earned an M.S. Degree in Education from Castleton University in 2014 and a Sixth Year Degree in Educational Leadership from Central Connecticut State in 2021. A teacher in the Farmington Public Schools system, Fantl resides in his hometown with wife, Sumiko, and three young children.