Héctor Soto facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Héctor Soto
Personal information
Full name	Héctor Emilio Soto
Nickname	Picky
Nationality	Puerto Rican
Born	(1978-06-28) June 28, 1978 (age 46) New York City, New York, U.S.
Hometown	Arroyo, Puerto Rico
Height	1.97 m (6 ft 6 in)
Weight	85 kg (187 lb)
Spike	340 cm (130 in)
Block	332 cm (131 in)
Volleyball information
Position	Wing spiker
National team
1995–2016  Puerto Rico
Medal record Men's volleyball Representing  PUR NORCECA Championship Silver 2007 Anaheim Team Pan-American Cup Bronze 2010 San Juan Team Central American and Caribbean Games Gold 2002 San Salvador Team Gold 2006 Cartagena Team Gold 2010 Mayagüez Team Silver 2014 Veracruz Team
Last updated: April 21, 2018

Héctor Soto (born June 28, 1978) is a famous former volleyball player from Puerto Rico. He is often called "Picky." He was a very important member of the Puerto Rico national team. He helped his team achieve great things, like finishing sixth at the 2007 FIVB Men's World Cup in Japan. Héctor was also recognized as the "Best Scorer" in many big tournaments, showing how amazing he was at getting points for his team.

Early Life and Education

Héctor Soto was born in New York City, USA, but he grew up in Arroyo, Puerto Rico. He went to Carmen B. Huyke High School. Later, he attended Indiana University – Ft. Wayne. While there, he was named an AVCA Division I First Team All-American twice, in 1999 and 2000. He also received a Second Team All-American award in 1998. Héctor is married to Amnerys González, and they have two children, Camila and Maurizio.

Héctor's Amazing Volleyball Career

Héctor Soto started playing professional volleyball in Puerto Rico in 1995. His first team was Bucaneros de Arroyo. In 1998, he joined Caribes de San Sebastián after the teams merged. With this team, he won the Puerto Rican League Championship in 1999 and was named the Most Valuable Player of the final series.

Playing Around the World

Héctor didn't just play in Puerto Rico. He also played for clubs in many other countries.

• In 2000-2001, he played in Tunisia for Club Sportif Sfaxien. His team won a silver medal in the 2001 African Volleyball Clubs Champions Championship.
• From 2001 to 2002, he played for the Belgian club Noliko Maaseik. With them, he won the Belgian League and the Belgian Cup in 2002.
• He then played for the Italian club Cagliari Volley from 2002 to 2006. His team won the A-2 Championship in 2004-2005, which helped them move up to the top league, Serie A-1.
• In 2006-2007, he played for the Panasonic Panthers in Japan.
• From 2007 to 2009, he played in Russia for Lokomotiv Novosibirsk.
• In 2009-2010, he joined Arkas Spor in Turkey.
• He also played in South Korea for Hyundai Capital Skywalkers from 2010 to 2011.

Playing for Puerto Rico's National Team

Héctor Soto started playing for the Senior National Team of Puerto Rico in 1995. He was a key player for them for over 20 years, until 2016.

• In 2006, he played in the FIVB World Championship in Japan. He was the "Best Scorer" of the whole tournament, helping Puerto Rico reach 12th place.
• He was chosen to carry the flag for Puerto Rico at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro. He was again the "Best Scorer" at that tournament.
• As team captain, he was named the "Best Scorer" at the 2007 NORCECA Championship. He scored 104 points in total!
• He won gold medals with Puerto Rico at the Central American and Caribbean Games in 2002, 2006, and 2010. He also won a silver medal in 2014.
• He helped his team win a silver medal at the 2007 NORCECA Championship and a bronze medal at the 2010 Pan-American Cup.

Later Career and Achievements

After playing internationally, Héctor returned to play for clubs in Puerto Rico.

• He joined Mets de Guaynabo in 2010.
• In 2012-2013, he played for Capitanes de Arecibo. Even after a shoulder injury, he helped his team win the Puerto Rican league championship in January 2013.
• He continued playing for Capitanes de Arecibo and helped them win the Puerto Rican League Championship again in 2014. In that year, he broke the scoring record for the Puerto Rican league, aiming for 6,000 points in his career.
• In 2015, he captained his club, Capitanes de Arecibo, at the FIVB Club World Championship in Brazil.
• He even tried playing beach volleyball in 2016, hoping to qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics.
• His final club was Mets de Guaynabo, where he helped them win the Puerto Rican Championship for the second year in a row in 2016-2017.

Héctor Soto is truly a legend in Puerto Rican volleyball, known for his powerful play and many achievements.

Clubs Héctor Soto Played For

• Bucaneros de Arroyo (1995-1998)
• Caribes de San Sebastián (1998-2002)
• Club Sportif Sfaxien (2000-2001)
• Noliko Maaseik (2001–2002)
• Alimenti Sardi Cagliari (2002–2003)
• Terra Sarda Cagliari (2003–2005)
• Tiscali Cagliari (2005–2006)
• Playeros de San Juan (2005–2006)
• Panasonic Panthers (2006–2007)
• Lokomotiv Novosibirsk (2007–2009)
• Arkas Spor Izmir (2009–2010)
• Hyundai Capital Skywalkers (2010–2011)
• Mets de Guaynabo (2010–2012)
• Capitanes de Arecibo (2012–2015)
• Mets de Guaynabo (2016–2017)

Héctor Soto's Awards

Clubs

• 1999 Puerto Rican League – Champion, with Caribes de San Sebastián
• 2000-01 Tunisian Cup – Runner-Up, with Club Sportif Sfaxien
• 2000-01 Tunisian League – Runner-Up, with Club Sportif Sfaxien
• 2001 African Volleyball Clubs Champions Championship – Runner-Up, with Club Sportif Sfaxien
• 2002 Belgium League – Champion, with Noliko Maaseik
• 2002 Belgium Cup – Champion, with Noliko Maaseik
• 2004-05 Italian A2 Championship Champion – Champion, with Terra Sarda Cagliari
• 2010-11 Korean V-League – Bronze medal, with Hyundai Capital Skywalkers
• 2012-13 Puerto Rican League – Champion, with Capitanes de Arecibo
• 2013-14 Puerto Rican League – Runner-Up, with Capitanes de Arecibo
• 2014 Puerto Rican League – Champion, with Capitanes de Arecibo
• 2015 Puerto Rican League – Bronze medal, with Capitanes de Arecibo
• 2016-17 Puerto Rican League – Champion, with Mets de Guaynabo