CC's Gannon, UMD's Trepanier named recipients of wcha Post-Graduate Scholarships for 2009-10
Complete Release in PDF Format 
May 19, 2009
MADISON, Wis. - The Western Collegiate Hockey Association today (May 19) announced that seniors Jake Gannon of Colorado College and Myriam Trepanier of the University of Minnesota Duluth are the recipients of the annual WCHA Post-Graduate Scholarship Program for 2009-10.
"We are both tremendously proud to announce Jake Gannon and Myriam Trepanier as the latest WCHA Post-Graduate Scholarship winners," said Commissioner Bruce M. McLeod and Associate Commissioner Sara R. Martin in a joint statement. "Jake and Myriam continue the outstanding tradition of excellence - both on and off the ice - of our previous post-graduate scholarship recipients and together they represent the best of collegiate athletics.
"As an Association, we are fortunate to have had both of them competing the past four seasons at Colorado College and the University of Minnesota Duluth, respectively, and we join the entire membership in saluting their tremendous accomplishments. We also want to wish them all the best in their future endeavors and have no doubt that both of them will achieve great successes in their lifetimes."
An advocate of excellence both on and off the ice for student-athletes, the WCHA first announced the annual men's and women's post-graduate scholarship program in April of 2003, with the initial recipients named after the 2003-04 academic year. The WCHA Post-Graduate Scholarships are two grants of $10,000 each that are presented annually to a male and female student-athlete for post-graduate studies.
Gannon (Roselle, Ill.), a four-year competitor and defenseman for the Tigers of Colorado College, was the captain of his team as a senior in 2008-09 and was an assistant captain as a junior in 2007-08. Graduating this month from CC with Bachelor of Arts degree, Gannon is a Economics major with a minor in History and carries an undergraduate GPA (grade-point average) of 3.62 (on a 4.0 scale). He is a three-time WCHA Scholar-Athlete award recipient (2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09) and has also earned All-WCHA Academic Team honors three consecutive seasons (2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09). To earn WCHA Scholar-Athlete acclaim, a member-team student-athlete must have completed at least one year of residency at their present institution prior to the current academic year and must have a grade-point average of at least 3.50 on a 4.0 scale for the previous two semesters or three quarters, or may qualify if his overall GPA is at least 3.50 for all terms at his present institution.
"I plan on pursuing my dream of playing professional hockey after I graduate," said Gannon. "It is, however, my goal to attend graduate school after my playing career is over. I would ultimately like to attend the Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University or the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago. These two schools are of tremendous interest to me because they are both in my home state of Illinois and are regarded as two of the most elite graduate schools in the world.
"After receiving my MBA, I plan on working for a financial planning and advising firm. After working for a company and achieving a full understanding of the business, I would like to start my own company."
On the ice, Gannon played in 135 career games for Colorado College over the past four seasons, helping the Tigers to the WCHA regular season championship and MacNaughton Cup in 2007-08, to a berth in the WCHA Final Five playoff championship in 2008 and to NCAA tournament berths in both 2006 and 2008. He also produced 12 scoring points (1g,11a) over his collegiate career.
"Jake is a talented, hard-working young man who was unanimously voted captain by his teammates last season," said CC head coach Scott Owens. "He's a hard-nosed, blue collar defenseman who takes pride in his defensive play and his physical presence. He has a team first attitude that earns the respect of his peers and coaches. He's one of the hardest competitors on the team both in practice and in games. As our `blueline' leader, he was counted on to play a lot of minutes and in key situations for us."
Gannon was nominated for the WCHA Post-Graduate Scholarship by Colorado College Faculty Athletics Representative Ralph Bertand.
According to Bertrand, "Jake is an outstanding young man whose contributions on and off the ice are recognized throughout the College and the community.
"He is an excellent student and a respected leader among his peers. His academic transcript is a testament to his diligence and motivation. On the ice, Jake displays a genuine compassion for his teammates and sets an example through his work ethic, personal integrity and leadership skills."
Trepanier (St-Michel-de-Bellechasse, Quebec), a senior defenseman from the University of Minnesota Duluth, played in 142 career games for the Bulldogs, including 38 of 39 this past season. She is also an accomplished collegiate softball player at UMD. Graduating with a Bachelor of Applied Science degree this spring, she is a Health Education major and Psychology minor and carries a 3.70 grade-point average (on a 4.0 scale). She has made the Dean's List at UMD for academic excellence every eligible semester, is a three-time WCHA Scholar-Athlete award winner, and is a three-time member of the All-WCHA Academic Team.
"I wish to pursue my graduate studies in Environmental Health and Safety at UMD," said Trepanier. "This master program prepares graduate students to ensure the health and safety of workers and the preservation of our environment.
"I selected this program because I believe that workplaces should not threaten the lives of workers and should not jeopardize the conservation of our environment. With new advances in alternate sources of energy and the multiple attempts at building a greener society, environmental health and safety professionals will play an important role in protecting the environment and workers. My research interests include ergonomics and risk management and I would love to complete an internship related to those topics."
On the ice, Trepanier has been a key contributor to the success of the UMD program the past four seasons. While being a vital cog defensively over her school-record 142 career games, she helped lead the Bulldogs to the national championship in 2008, to the WCHA regular season title in 2007-08 and to the WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF playoff crown in 2008. She has also been a part of four consecutive teams that have earned national tournament berths.
"Myriam is an accomplished member of our hockey program," said Bulldogs' head coach Shannon Miller. "She led our defense in scoring her sophomore and junior seasons and has garnered 59 career points, the sixth most from a defenseman in Bulldog program history. She has earned NCAA Frozen Four and WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF all-tournament team honors and her success on the ice has equalled her success in the classroom.
"In addition to being a phenomenal student-athlete, it is her character that separates her from other athletes. Her play and leadership have been instrumental in our success and she consistently demonstrates tremendous work-ethic, sacrifice and inspires her teammates to challenge themselves. Myriam has great perspective and truly understands the `big picture'. We can always count on her to say and do what is best for the team, even if the message is unpopular. Myriam embodies the talent, dedication and character of a student-athlete. She has impacted the UMD hockey program tremendously and the UMD and Duluth community respectively."
Trepanier was nominated for the WCHA Post-Graduate Scholarship by Minnesota Duluth Faculty Athletics Representative Allen Mensinger.
According to Mensinger, "Myriam Trepanier is an outstanding scholar and athlete who will be matriculating in the University of Minnesota Duluth's Master's program in environmental health and safety in the fall of 2009. She is the consummate student-athlete, excelling both in the classroom and on the field as a member of the UMD women's hockey and softball teams.
"Despite the time constraints of a Division 1 hockey schedule, participating at the conclusion of the hockey season with the UMD softball team and a demanding academic major, Myriam has also been able to give time to the community, serving at UMD as a Health Services intern, being actively involved in the campus' alcohol awareness program, volunteering at a local hospital, and helping coach a local high school hockey team.
History & Background of WCHA Post-Graduate Scholarship
The original announcement of the WCHA Post-Graduate Scholarship program, in 2003, was made jointly by P.J. Hill, then Chair of the Association and Faculty Representative from the University of Alaska Anchorage and WCHA Commissioner Bruce McLeod. In announcing the post-graduate scholarship program, Hill said, "This represents another positive step forward for the Western Collegiate Hockey Association in the area and recognition of academic achievement. We are extremely proud of the excellent reputation our member institutions have in both athletics and academics, and this new post-graduate scholarship program will only enhance that."
The first two winners of the men's and women's WCHA's Post-Graduate Scholarship in 2003-04 were Mike Colgan of Colorado College and Michelle McAteer of University of Minnesota Duluth. The 2004-05 recipients were Reid Goolsby of Colorado College and Emma Laaksonen of Ohio State University, the 2005-06 recipients were Jake Brandt of University of North Dakota and Kelsey Bills of University of Minnesota, the 2006-07 recipients were Ted O'Leary of University of Denver and Meghan Mutrie of University of North Dakota, the 2007-08 honorees were Nate Raduns and Denelle Maguet, both of St. Cloud State, and the 2008-09 honorees were Laura Fast of St. Cloud State and Andrew Thomas of the University of Denver.
Following is an outline of the WCHA's post-graduate scholarship program: Criteria: 1. the nominee must graduate by the end of the academic year (or by the end of the summer) and must have earned at least a 3.0 grade-point average. 2. the nominee must have competed in the WCHA for at least three years.
Nominating Process: A student-athlete must be nominated by the Faculty Athletics Representative. Nominations are due April 15th.
Selection Process: Scholarship recipients and alternates will be selected by a vote of an Association Committee composed of five Faculty Athletics Representatives. The Association selection committee(s) will review and make the final selections. The committee(s) may select one male and one female winner annually to receive the WCHA post-graduate scholarship, as well as an alternate for each scholarship. Selections will be made by the committee by May 15th.
Process Following Nomination and Selection: Following notification, the award winners have until July 1 to accept, in writing, the scholarship. Announcements will be made at the kick-off event at the student-athlete recipient's home venue, the following fall.
The winners must enroll in graduate school within two years of graduation. Designated full-time enrollment (post-graduate degree hours) shall be required and verification from the program director must be presented to the Conference office before the award shall be presented. The scholarship money will be sent directly to the post-graduate institution.
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