TROY, N.Y. – Twenty of the top Division I NCAA men’s hockey student-athletes have been named as candidates for the 2017-18 Senior CLASS Award and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) senior defenseman Jared Wilson has been selected.
A captain from Calgary, Alb., Wilson is a business and management major with a 3.79 cumulative grade point average. Compiling a perfect 4.0 GPA in the fall semester of 2016, he is a multiple Dean’s List selection and has earned ECAC Hockey All-Academic all three years eligible to date.
Wilson has been a leader in Rensselaer’s service efforts, which includes a team trip to Britt, Ont., in August. There, the Engineers spent three days helping in the community by crushing and recycling cans, as well as building picnic tables for a local park. Over his time at RPI, he has read to elementary school students at local public schools, worked with the local YMCA on after school programs and spent time cooking at a Troy food bank.
On the ice, Wilson has played in all six games for RPI, recording a goal and two assists for three points. Registering one power play goal, the former Vernon Vipers standout has two minor penalties for four minutes and is a -1 rating.
Wilson led the nation in goals by a defenseman with 11 during the 2016-17 season. He also recorded six assists for 17 points, while playing in all 37 games for RPI. He was second on the team with 56 blocked shots and had an ECAC Hockey-best shooting percentage of 13.9 percent.
To date, Wilson has totaled 21 goals and 20 assists for 41 points in 120 career games. He is one of three ECAC Hockey players on the list.
Former Engineers forward, Brock Higgs ’14, won the award in 2014.
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.
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 2018 NCAA Men’s Frozen Final Four® in April.
