OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - Lake Superior State University men's hockey players Max Humitz and Collin Saccoman have been named as finalists for the 2019-20 Senior CLASS Award. Humitz and Saccoman are two of the twenty finalists among all NCAA Division I ice hockey student-athletes for this prestigious award.
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. The Senior CLASS Award, an acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
Classroom: Humitz is majoring in kinesiology at Lake Superior State. Humitz was named to the All-WCHA All-Academic Team in 2018-19 as he recorded a GPA of 3.0 or higher for both semesters during the academic year. Humitz has completed internship credits for the program during the summer.
Character: Humitz, who was named a captain for the 2019-20 season, has been a leader on and off the ice for the Lakers. Last season, the Livonia, Michigan native was named the WCHA's forward of the week after his first game action since the passing of his father, Mike. Humitz' return to the lineup last January saw him record two goals and two assists for a WCHA-best four points on the weekend. His +4 rating was tied for the league lead among forwards.
Community: Humitz has been involved in team initiatives such as Check.Slash.Survive, Light the Lamp, and the Thanksgiving Food Drive. Laker athletics is very involved with local non-profits such as the Diane Peppler Resource Center and the United Way, which Humitz and his teammates volunteer at.
Competition: Humitz enters his senior season as the Lakers highest returning point scorer with 42 goals and 34 assists, as well as the third highest returning goal total among all NCAA Division I players. He posted a career-high 16 goals, 17 assists, and 33 points last season. Humitz led the Lakers in game winning goals in 2018-19 and seven of his 42 career-goals have been game winners. Humitz ranked 10th in the WCHA in points (33), sixth in goals (16), and 18th in assists (17).
Classroom: In 2018-19, Saccoman was named to the WCHA All-Academic Team, as well as earning WCHA Scholar-Athlete status. The criminal justice/homeland security major has also been named an AHCA Division I Krampade All-American Scholar multiple times. In his time at Lake Superior State, he has met the requirements of competing in at least 40% of the team's games and posting a GPA of 3.6 or higher during each semester of the academic year.
Character: Saccoman served as an alternate captain during his junior year and was named a co-captain for the 2019-20 season. Saccoman is known for his competitive and hard fought play on the ice. He has shown during his collegiate career that he will do whatever it takes to help the Lakers win. The defenseman has been a consistent presence among blocked shot leaders among all NCAA Division I players, including his freshman year when his 94 blocked shots ranked fourth in the nation. Despite missing time during his sophomore year with an injury, Saccoman would return to still post the highest blocks per game (3.00) in the league.
Community: Saccoman has been involved in team initiatives such as Check.Slash.Survive, Light the Lamp, and the Thanksgiving Food Drive. He has also individually been involved in the Sault Ste. Marie community especially at the Diane Peppler Resource Center, which is a non-profit serving survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse. Saccoman has volunteered at the center's events where he performed magic tricks, a hobby that the defenseman is known for around campus. The reception from the children was so positive that the center has invited him back to perform at other events they have organized.
Competition: Entering his senior year of play, Saccoman has appeared in 100 career games as a Laker, which ranks first among his fellow Laker defenseman. The defenseman has notched 48 points, including 14 goals and 34 assists in his collegiate career. In 2018-19, Saccoman led all WCHA blueliners in goals and ranked second among all WCHA players in blocked shots. Saccoman was named WCHA Player of the Month twice during his junior season and in previous seasons was named WCHA Defensive Player of the Week. In 2018-19, Saccoman was the only Division I men's hockey player to record at least 25 points and 90 blocked shots. He was named the team's Most Valuable Defenseman in 2018-19.
The 20 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists in February, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.
The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2020 NCAA Men's Frozen Four in April.
For more information on the Senior CLASS Award, click here.
For more information on Laker athletics, visit lssulakers.com
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