Senior CLASS Award Candidates
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Three National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) seniors were among 15 NCAA men’s ice hockey student-athletes selected as candidates for the prestigious 2018-19 Senior CLASS Award, as Premier Sports Management announced the candidates Tuesday. The three candidates from the NCHC are Colorado College forward Mason Bergh, North Dakota forward Nick Jones and St. Cloud State defenseman Jimmy Schuldt, all three of whom are team captains or assistant captains this season.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School ®, the Senior CLASS Award 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.
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition.
Bergh (Eden Prairie, Minn.) boasts a 3.84 overall grade-point average while majoring in economics. The two-time team captain has earned Distinguished Scholar Athlete honors from the NCHC in each of his three seasons so far. He has also been named to the Dean’s List at CC in each of his six semesters at the school, and last season won the Paul Markovich Award, which is given to the top student-athlete in the CC hockey program. In the community, Bergh supports the local Children’s Hospital, volunteering at the 2018 Children’s Hospital Colorado Climb For Courage, which raised money to build Southern Colorado’s only comprehensive children’s hospital. On the ice, Bergh earned Honorable Mention All-NCHC honors last season after tying for third in the conference with eight power play goals and fifth with 18 goals. He is CC’s career active scoring leader with 82 points (36g, 46a) in 114 career games.
Jones (Edmonton, Alberta) was named to the 2017-18 NCHC Academic All-Conference Team and was an NCHC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete in his first season at UND after transferring from Ohio State. The social science major also received the team’s Cliff “Fido” Purpur Award as the player who “exemplifies hard work, determination and being a creator of excitement on the ice.” Jones has been active in the community since arriving in Grand Forks, volunteering his time to North Dakota Special Olympics, North Dakota Jr. Champions, and more. On the ice, the assistant captain is UND’s top returning scorer from 2017-18, after only his first season in the program. He collected a team-leading 15 goals and added 15 assists in 34 games and won a team-leading 59.3 percent of his faceoffs last year. This season, Jones is tied for the team lead with four points (all assists) and 14 shots on goal through the first five games.
Schuldt (Minnetonka, Minn.) carries a cumulative grade-point average north of 3.7 and is a three-time NCHC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete and three-time Academic All-NCHC selection. The finance major has participated in several events in the St. Cloud community, including the local Special Olympics floor hockey team, the 2017 Special Olympics Polar Plunge, Big Brothers Big Sisters at Madison Elementary School and reading books at Talahi Elementary. Schuldt is SCSU’s first-ever three-time captain and has racked up several accolades in his three years, including being a 2018 Hobey Baker Award Top-10 Finalist and an AHCA First-Team All-American last year. Schuldt, who has played in 123 consecutive games, never missing one in his career, was also First-Team All-NCHC in 2017-18 when he totaled 38 points on 10 goals and 28 assists, while blocking 84 shots and posting a +18 plus/minus. For his career, he has 87 points on 29 goals and 58 assists.
The 15 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 2019 NCAA Men’s Frozen Four® on Friday, April 12 in Buffalo, N.Y.
The Senior CLASS Award is handed out annually in a variety of both men’s and women’s NCAA-sponsored sports. The award is managed by Premier Sports Management.
To see the full list and read more about each of the 15 candidates, visit seniorCLASSaward.com.
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