West Hartford Native/Farmington Teacher-Coach Named To His College's Sports Hall Of Fame

WEST HARTFORD/FARMINGTON, CT — A West Hartford native son and teacher/coach in Farmington has been selected to join his alma mater's highest athletics group.

West Hartford native/resident Max Fantl, a former two-sport standout at Eastern Connecticut State University in Willimantic and current Farmington educator, has been selected for induction into the Eastern Athletics Alumni Hall of Fame.

Fantl, a 2010 graduate of Eastern, is the second announced member of the Hall of Fame's five-person Class of 2026. The university announced the honor Thursday.

The 32nd Eastern Athletics Alumni Hall of Fame induction ceremony is scheduled for 5 p.m. Oct. 17 at the Fine Arts Instructional Center Concert Hall on the Willimantic campus, followed by a social reception.

Fantl earned recognition as one of the most accomplished student-athletes in Eastern history during his four-year careers in both men's soccer and men's lacrosse.

As a four-year starting forward on the soccer team from 2006 to 2009, he helped lead the Warriors to two Little East Conference regular-season championships, two conference tournament titles and three postseason appearances. Eastern compiled a 49-21-13 overall record during his career, losing just four conference regular-season matches.

Fantl finished his soccer career ranked third in program history in both points (118) and goals (49). He also ranks third in career appearances with 83 matches and has never missed a game during his collegiate career.

He was a four-time All-Little East Conference selection, a three-time United Soccer Coaches All-Region honoree, a two-time Little East Conference Offensive Player of the Year, and the conference's Rookie of the Year in 2006. As a senior, he was named ECAC New England Player of the Year and earned first-team Scholar All-America honors from United Soccer Coaches.

Fantl also starred as a midfielder on the men's lacrosse team from 2007 to 2010, helping the Warriors win two Little East regular-season championships and one conference tournament title. That championship season included the program's first NCAA Tournament victory, a 10-9 overtime win over the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.

In four years of lacrosse, Eastern posted a 45-25 overall record and went 24-2 in conference play. Fantl appeared in 68 of a possible 70 games and earned second-team All-Little East Conference honors as a junior.

Across eight combined seasons in soccer and lacrosse, Fantl helped Eastern win seven Little East Conference regular-season and tournament championships and qualify for four postseason tournaments.

His academic accomplishments matched his athletic success. Fantl was a three-time Little East All-Academic selection and earned first-team Academic All-District honors from the College Sports Information Directors of America.

As a senior, he received Eastern's Male Athlete of the Year award and the Francis E. Geissler Senior Male Sportsperson of the Year Award, recognizing integrity, leadership, sportsmanship and spirit.

Fantl earned a bachelor's degree in physical education and health from Eastern in 2010, a master's degree in education from Castleton University in 2014, and a sixth-year degree in educational leadership from Central Connecticut State University in 2021.

Fantl holds multiple roles in the Farmington Public Schools, primarily serving as a K-4 Physical Education Teacher at the Noah Wallace School.

In addition to his teaching duties, he has a strong presence in the district's athletic programs as the head coach for the varsity girls' soccer team at Farmington High School.

He has taught in the Farmington Public Schools for the past nine years and lives in West Hartford with his wife, Sumiko, and their three children.