Four Lakers honored as WCHA Scholar-Athletes

Four Lakers honored as WCHA Scholar-Athletes

EDINA, Minn. – The Western Collegiate Hockey Association announced today that a record 145 conference-member student-athletes make up the 12th annual group of WCHA Scholar-Athlete Award recipients for 2016-17. The WCHA Scholar-Athlete Award honors student-athletes having completed at least one year of residency at their present institution prior to the current academic year and have also achieved a grade-point average of at least 3.50 on a 4.0 scale during the previous two semesters or three quarters.

Lake Superior State was represented by three repeat honorees, all members of the junior class, and one sophomore first-time winner.

Junior goaltender Gordon Defiel (Stillwater, Minn.) and defensemen Aidan Wright (Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.) and Ryan Renz (Castlegar, B.C.) were each honored for the second time as Scholar-Athletes in their collegiate careers. Sophomore goaltender Nick Kossoff earned the distinction for the first time, in his first year eligible for the honor.

Since the Lakers joined the WCHA in 2013-14, a total of 25 LSSU student-athletes have received Scholar-Athlete status.

The WCHA Scholar-Athlete Award was developed through member team Faculty Athletic Representatives (FARs) and approved by the conference membership for the 2005-06 season. Over the 12 years of the award, there have now been nearly 1,100 WCHA Scholar-Athlete honorees representing every men's and women's conference member institution. Sixty-four (64) of this season's 145 recipients are repeat honorees, with 23 of those now being three-time honorees.

Click here for the full release from the WCHA