Men's Ice Hockey

UW-Stout’s Kroon Earns NCAA Division III Elite Scholar-Athlete Award

UTICA, N.Y.--University of Wisconsin-Stout’s Sam Kroon, a junior defenseman, is the recipient of the Elite Scholar-Athlete Award for the 2026 NCAA Division III Men’s Ice Hockey Championship.

Kroon is majoring in business administration and carries a 3.974 grade point average. He was presented with the award during the NCAA men's ice hockey banquet on March 26.

Kroon is the fourth individual from the WIAC to receive an Elit Scholar-Athlete Award during the 2025-26 academic year, joining UW-La Crosse’s Grant Matthai (men’s cross country), UW-Eau Claire’s Kayla Behnke (women’s indoor track & field) and UW-Oshkosh’s Bridget Froehlke (women’s basketball).

The Elite Scholar-Athlete award recognizes the true essence of student-athletes by honoring the individuals who have reached the pinnacle of competition at the national championship level in their sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among their peers. The Elite Scholar-Athlete award is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA's championships.
 
Eligible student-athletes are sophomores or above academically who have participated in a sport for at least two years with their school. All ties are broken based on the number of credits completed.
 
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