5/20/2010 - MEN'S ICE HOCKEY Hardwick named to ESPN/CoSIDA Academic All-District V First Team

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BEMIDJI, Minn. -- Bemidji State University men’s ice hockey defenseman Kyle Hardwick (Sr., Warroad, Minn.) has been selected to the ESPN The Magazine/College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) University Division All-District V At-Large squad. Hardwick, the College Hockey America Student-Athlete of the Year, earned a first team selection and will now be included on the 2010 ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-America ballot.

Hardwick, a senior majoring in business administration with a minor in political science, carried a 3.93 Grade Point Average into his final semester of undergraduate work at Bemidji State.  A three-time Academic All-CHA honoree, the 2009-10 alternate captain has been a regular on the BSU Dean’s List, qualifying all seven semesters he has been eligible, while he was a recipient of the Presidential Award, given to 4.0 students, six times.  A BSU’s Leadership Scholarship winner, Hardwick has been accepted into the University of Minnesota Law School.

On the ice, Hardwick played in 79 games for the Beavers mounting one goal and six assists for seven career points from the BSU blueline.  He was a contributing member on BSU men’s hockey teams that accumulated three CHA regular-season titles, a CHA Tournament championship and two NCAA Tournament appearances, including the 2009 squad that won the NCAA Midwest Regional crown before making the program’s inaugural appearance in the Frozen Four.

Two of Hardwick’s seven career points came in the 2009 NCAA Midwest Regional, including an assist on the game-winning goal versus Cornell--a victory that punch BSU’s ticket to the Frozen Four.

The Warroad, Minn. native has also been active in the community.  He is a reoccurring volunteer for the Special Olympics, has been active in BSU’s elementary school reading partnership program and served two years on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).

Hardwick continues a legacy of academic excellence within the BSU men’s hockey program. Since 2003, 13 BSU skaters have been selected as all-district honorees, while Peter Jonsson advanced on to garner First-Team Academic All-America laurels following the 2005 campaign.

In addition, the senior defenseman also becomes the fourth BSU student-athlete to earn Academic All-District honors during the 2009-10 academic year. He joins Brianna Duff (Jr., D, Ramsey, Minn.), who earned Third-Team All-District V accolades at the conclusion of the 2009 soccer campaign, setter Courtney Bitter (So., S, Bemidji, Minn.), who garnered second-team laurels at the conclusion of the most recent volleyball campaign and men’s golf senior Josh Dale (Cross Lake, Minn.), who was named Second Team All-District V this spring.

BSU has had at least one student-athlete named to the all-district team in each of the last eight years and boasts 13 academic All-America selections dating back to the 1970s.

The CoSIDA Academic All-District Teams are selected by a vote of the 2,200-member CoSIDA organization. To be eligible, an athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve and maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.20 on a scale of 4.00. Sports Information Directors nominate eligible athletes from their schools, who are then voted onto the All-District teams. First-Team All-District honorees advance to the Academic All-America ballot. The program honors over 800 student-athletes around the nation each year, and since the program’s inception in 1952 nearly 17,000 have been named to Academic All-America Teams

The Bemidji State men’s hockey team, which finished 23-10-4 overall and 14-3-1 in CHA play to garner their fifth conference regular-season crown in the last seven years, wrapped up the 2009-10 campaign with a loss to University of Michigan in the Midwest Regional semifinal contest, marking the team’s fourth trip to the NCAA Division I Tournament since 2005.   

BSU is set to break the seal on the 2010-11 season--its first in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA)--Oct. 15-16, 2010 when it hosts University of North Dakota.  The two-game set is slated for a 7:37 p.m. opening face off, while the series finale will begin at 7:07 p.m.  Both games will be played on Robert H. Peters Rink at the Bemidji Regional Event Center.

--bsu--