MADISON, Wis. – The Western Collegiate Hockey Association today (June 13, 2012) announced that seniors Brittany Toor of St. Cloud State University, Montana Vichorek of Bemidji State University, and Brad Eidsness of the University of North Dakota are the recipients of annual WCHA Post-Graduate Scholarships for 2012-13.
“We are both exceedingly pleased and tremendously proud to announce our latest WCHA Post-Graduate Scholarship winners in Brittany Toor, Montana Vichorek and Brad Eidsness,” said Commissioner Bruce M. McLeod and Associate Commissioner Sara R. Martin in a joint statement. “Representative of the best of collegiate athletics, these three outstanding student-athletes add another distinguished chapter to the league’s long-standing tradition of recognizing and honoring it’s players both on and off the ice.
“The WCHA has been blessed to have had Montana, Brittany and Brad competing in the league on the ice at the highest levels the past four seasons as well as making their mark in the classroom and setting the stage for future success. Today we salute their tremendous accomplishments and on behalf of the entire Association, we wish them all the best in their future endeavors.”
Eidsness, a senior goaltender at North Dakota who hails from Chestermere, Alberta, competed in 104 collegiate games and 5,871 minutes between the pipes while compiling an impressive 58-27-10 record, a 2.41 goals-against average, a .906 saves percentage and five shutouts. In his final campaign in 2011-12, he was 8-3-1 with a 2.17 GAA and .919 SV%. His 58 career victories rank third all-time at UND and he is fourth all-time in career games played by a goaltender, fifth in career goals-against average, sixth in career saves percentage and tied for fifth in shutouts. He was a member of North Dakota’s WCHA regular season championship teams in both 2008-09 and 2010-11 and of UND’s record three consecutive WCHA Final Five championship clubs in 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12, earning all-tournament team honors as a junior.
Over his four seasons, Eidsness has earned numerous honors, including the prestigious WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year Award as a senior. (The WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year Award is determined from nominations made by the member institutions and the nominee must be a senior student-athlete, must consistently display outstanding sportsmanship on and off the ice, must be a good student making satisfactory progress toward a degree; and must be a good hockey player who has performed consistently as a regular member of the team.) He is also a three-time WCHA Scholar-Athlete, a three-time member of the All-WCHA Academic Team, was a 2011-12 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award nominee, was a 2011 NCAA Elite 88 Award recipient, was UND’s Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2011-12, earned All-WCHA Second Team honors in 2009-10, both All-WCHA Third Team and All-WCHA Rookie Team honors in 2008-09, and was UND’s Rookie Athlete of the Year (male) in 2008-09.
Over the course of his four years at UND, he not only stayed on track with progress towards a degree but also completed both a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and a Master of Business Administration degree. Eidsness graduated Magna Cum Laude with a 3.779 cumulative GPA in undergraduate work and has a 3.625 cumulative GPA in graduate school. His leadership activities included the UND Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) from 2008-12 and the UND Master of Business Administration Student Association (MBASA).
“Brad is an outstanding young man who has become a leader, not only on his team but also across our campus,” said head coach Dave Hakstol. “His athletic performance and abilities are second to none and his dedication to his sport, his team, and his academics is that of a unique and first class character.
“He is a very talented young man, with his strongest qualities involving his work ethic, focus and drive to achieve success in all areas of his life. I have been fortunate enough to be a part of this young man’s life … to watch as he has evolved as a man by growing through both daunting adversity and great success. He is committed to doing his best and doing it the right way, with honor. He has been an incredible leader for our team and a teammate that other players think very highly of.”
In addition to his stellar work on the ice and in the classroom, Eidsness has also been active on campus as a team representative to SAAC and has been routinely involved in community service. His contributions include the Sioux Kids Club events, the Northland Rescue Mission – Pucks for Plates, annual food drives, the National Honor Society, fan fests, and speaking engagements at a number of different area events.
“Brad has applied for admission to law schools at both the University of Calgary and the University of Victoria and hopes to combine his love of hockey with his business acumen,” said UND Faculty Athletic Representative Sue Jeno, who nominated him for the WCHA Post-Graduate Scholarship. “The life lessons learned from participation in collegiate sports have provided him with the ability to work effectively with different types of people, to get along well with people from many varied backgrounds and beliefs, and to recognize when attention needs to be given to different individuals and to relationships. He has also learned that adversity can be as valuable as success in maintaining focus on a goal.”
