DENVER – Eight University of Denver hockey freshmen were added to the NCHC's 2023-24 Academic All-Conference Team on Tuesday, including six players earning recognition as an NCHC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete.
 
Cale Ashcroft, Garrett Brown, Boston Buckberger, Kieran Cebrian, Paxton Geisel, Freddie Halyk, Sam Harris and Alex Weiermair were the Pioneers' additions to the Academic All-Conference Team by the National Collegiate Hockey Conference, bringing DU's total to 23 student-athletes after 15 players made the initial list in February.
 
Ashcroft, Buckberger, Cebrian, Halyk, Harris and Weiermair were named NCHC Distinguished Scholar-Athletes, joining Kent Anderson, Matt Davis, Jack Devine, Carter King, Rieger Lorenz, Lucas Olvestad, Aidan Thompson and Jared Wright, who were all recognized on the earlier list.
 
Anderson, Tristan Broz, Shai Buium, Connor Caponi, Jack Caruso, Davis, Devine, King, Tristan Lemyre, Lorenz, Olvestad, Massimo Rizzo, Thompson, McKade Webster and Wright were the 15 Denver players that were previously named to the 2023-24 All-Academic Team.
 
Freshmen and first-year transfers were not eligible when the honors were first announced in late February, as they had not completed a full academic year.
 
To be eligible for the NCHC Academic All-Conference Team, a student-athlete must have compiled a 3.0 cumulative grade-point average or better, while having completed at least one full academic year at their current institution. Student-athletes that have achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or better are honored as NCHC Distinguished Scholar-Athletes, in addition to Academic All-Conference. Athletic success and playing time were not criteria for these awards.
 
Anderson, Buckberger, Davis, King and Weiermair also earned national honors earlier this month as All-American Scholars from the American Hockey Coaches Association.
 
As a team, DU hockey finished the 2023-24 academic year with a 3.37 cumulative grade-point average.
 
The NCHC added 62 newcomers to its 2023-24 Academic All-Conference Team for 174 total student-athletes named to the list. The league had 37 freshmen and first-year transfers named Distinguished Scholar-Athletes, which brought that total to 106, the second-most in conference history.
 

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