Fourteen UMD Bulldogs earned National Collegiate Hockey Conference All-Academic status for 2016-17 with one of those, senior defenseman Dan Molenaar, collaring a spot on the NCHC Scholar-Athlete Team (for the second year in a row).
Besides Molenaar, the group of honored Bulldogs included seniors Alex Iafallo, Brenden Kotyk, Willie Raskob and Carson Soucy, juniors Karson Kuhlman, Avery Peterson, Sammy Spurrell and Jared Thomas, sophomores Billy Exell, Adam Johnson, Parker Mackay and Neal Pionk, and red shirt freshman Nick Deery. Deery (twice), Exell (twice), Iafallo (three times), Johnson (twice), Kotyk (three times), Kuhlman (three times), Mackay (twice), Molenaar (four times), Peterson (twice), Pionk (twice), Raskob (four times), Soucy (twice), Spurrell (three times) and Thomas (three times) are all repeat qualifiers.
The NCHC Scholar-Athlete Team includes any student-athlete who has been at their institution for a full year and has achieved a 3.50 cumulative grade-point average or better. During the NCHC's first two seasons, the Scholar-Athlete Team consisted of only eight members with one representing each school. Like in previous years, the NCHC All-Academic Team recognizes any student-athlete that has accumulated a 3.0 GPA or better while having completed at least one year at their current institution.
A total of 123 individuals from the eight league schools qualified for the NCHC Al-Academic Team, and from that group 39 attained NCHC Scholar-Athlete Team acclaim. Those freshmen that achieve a cumulative 3.0 GPA or better at the conclusion of the 2016-17 academic year will be added to the NCHC All-Academic Team over the summer. Similarly, any freshmen who compile a 3.5 GPA or better will earn Scholar-Athlete Team honors.
The 2016-17 NCHC Scholar-Athlete of the Year will be announced at the NCHC Awards Celebration on March 16 in Minneapolis, Minn. on the eve of the Frozen Faceoff.
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