MADISON, Wis. – In the inaugural season in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, seven players from Alaska were selected as WCHA Scholar-Athletes for the 2013-14 season, the league office announced Thursday.
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To be eligible for the prestigious academic accolade, a player must have completed at least one year of residency at their present institution prior to the current academic year and must also have a grade-point average of at least 3.50 on a 4.0 scale for the previous two semesters or three quarters, or may qualify if his/her overall GPA is at least 3.50 for all terms at his or her present institution.
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The selection of the group was determined and verified by Minnesota State University President Richard Davenport (Chair, Board of Directors), St. Cloud State University Faculty Representative Bill Hudson (Chair, women's league), men's Commissioner Bruce McLeod and women's Commissioner Sara Martin.
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"On behalf of the entire Western Collegiate Hockey Association family, we offer heartfelt congratulations to all of our men's and women's WCHA Scholar-Athletes for 2013-14," said Dr. Davenport, Hudson, McLeod and Martin in a joint statement. "Each year at this time, as our member teams are engaged in the heat of competition for championships and playoff positions, we have a special opportunity to publicly recognize the very best in our student-athletes.
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Headlining the Nanook seven was junior goaltender
Sean Cahill (Calgary, Alberta/Business Administration), who put together a 3.94 GPA last spring and a perfect 4.0 GPA during the fall semester. He currently holds a stellar 3.97 cumulative average.
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Two other Nanooks selected hold above a 3.8 cumulative GPA. Sophomore right wing
Nolan Huysmans (Ponoka, Alberta/Business Administration) has a 3.94 GPA after accruing a 4.0 GPA in Spring 2013 and a 3.92 in Fall 2013. Sophomore center
Matthew Friese (Wasilla, Alaska/Business Administration) also has a 3.82 cumulative average after tallying a 4.0 last spring and a 3.82 in the fall.
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Also selected as a scholar-athlete was junior defenseman
Trevor Campbell (Kansas City, Mo./Mechanical Engineering), sophomore goaltender
John Keeney (Twin Peaks, Calif./Business Administration), sophomore defenseman
Colton Parayko (St. Albert, Alberta/Business Administration) and junior left wing
Garrick Perry (Apple Valley, Minn./Communication).
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The Nanooks as a team put together a 3.30 grade-point average during the fall term and had a 3.53 last spring.
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A total of 113 student-athletes from the WCHA men's and women's leagues were recognized as Scholar-Athletes for the 2013-14 academic year. It is the second-highest number of hockey players honored in a single season by the WCHA, only being out done by the 116 honored a year ago.
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Leading the way was Bowling Green and Bemidji State (6 men, 5 women, which both had 11. Two schools had 10 awardees in Minnesota State (5 men, 5 women) and North Dakota. Three schools had eight honored in Lake Superior State, Ohio State and St. Cloud State while Ferris State joined Alaska with seven scholar-athletes. Following that was Northern Michigan (6), Minnesota (5), Minnesota-Duluth (5), Wisconsin (5), Alabama Huntsville (4), Alaska Anchorage (4) and Michigan Tech (4).
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Over the nine years of the award, there have now been more than 750 WCHA Scholar-Athlete honorees representing every men's and women's conference-member institutions. Thirty-seven (37) of this season's 113 recipients are repeat honorees, with nine of those 37 now being three-time honorees.
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Alaska's WCHA Scholar-Athletes
Sean Cahill – Business Administration – 3.97 GPA (3.94 Spring '13, 4.0 Fall '13)
Trevor Campbell – Mechanical Engineering – 3.50 GPA (3.63 Spring, 13, 3.37 Fall '13)
Matthew Friese – Business Administration – 3.82 GPA (4.0 Spring '13, 3.82 Fall '13)
Nolan Huysmans – Business Administration – 3.94 GPA (4.0 Spring '13, 3.92 Fall '13)
John Keeney – Business Administration – 3.49 GPA (3.86 Spring '13, 3.59 Fall '13)
Colton Parayko – Business Administration – 3.70 GPA (3.74 Spring '13, 3.67 Fall '13)
Garrick Perry – Communication – 3.19 GPA (3.62 Spring '13, 3.6 Fall '13)
