Bemidji State’s Harms wins prestigious 2016-17 Senior CLASS Award®
Friday, April 7, 2017
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Bemidji State University forward Brendan Harms has been selected as the winner of the 2016-17 Senior CLASS Award® for collegiate hockey.
Harms is the first Bemidji State student-athlete to win the prestigious award, chosen by a nationwide vote of Division I men’s hockey coaches, national hockey media and fans, is given annually to the most outstanding senior student-athlete in Division I men’s hockey. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: classroom, community, character and competition.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
“Winning the Senior CLASS Award really means a lot,” said Harms. “When I saw the list of nominees, they are all great players and they are amazing people too. Just to have the opportunity to be nominated and then to make the short list of finalists was an extreme honor for me. When you put the work in to balance life as a student-athlete and try to contribute more than just on the ice, and then get acknowledged for that, it’s an amazing feeling.”
“Bemidji State and NCAA Hockey has been a great platform for me to do more for myself and the people around me. First and foremost I got tremendous coaching, which allowed me to be better on the ice, but they also preach being a great person. Because Bemidji is a smaller community I have had so many opportunities to get involved in the community and get to know people, help out and make a difference.”
Harms finished his Beaver hockey career with 21 points (8g-13a) in 2016-17, which included six power-play goals and two game-winners as a senior, capping his forth-consecutive collegiate season with at least 20 points.
“Brendan Harms personifies what it means to be a student-athlete,” said Bemidji State Head Coach Tom Serratore. “He does everything the right way, always committed to his work in the classroom, in the community and on the ice. He leads by example and makes a positive impact with everything he does and everyone he meets. He is a great representative of Beaver Hockey and leaves Bemidji State and our community a better place.”
With 88 career points (33g-55a) in four seasons and 141 games, Harms ranks among the top 12 on BSU’s Division I-era scoring list, while his 55 assists place him eighth at BSU since 1999-2000.
An All-WCHA Third Team selection (2014-15), and a three-time recipient of the WCHA’s Scholar-Athlete Awards as well as a three-time member of the league’s all-academic team, Harms finished his career totaling at least 20 points in each of his four seasons at BSU, which includes a career-best 25 points (8g-17a) as a junior (2015-16).
Harms’ commitment to excellence extends far beyond the confines of the boards. As a volunteer, he has worked with the Bemidji Boy’s and Girl’s Club, BSU’s Campus Clean Up Project, the local food shelf and community garden and the suicide prevention run/walk, while he has assisted fellow students during BSU’s fall move-in and visited Heartland Christian Academy during recess to play hockey with the students.
Harms owns a 4.0 grade point average as a business administration major with a minor in human performance. He is on track to graduate in the spring of 2017.
The Beavers finished the 2016-17 campaign with an overall record of 22-16-3, to mark the first time BSU has posted at least 22 wins since the 2009-10 season. Bemidji State also recorded a 20-6-2-2 record in WCHA play, to set a program record for wins as a member of the league (since 2010-11), won its 22nd conference title and its first as a member of the WCHA, the MacNaughton Cup and treated its dedicated fans to a Sanford Center-record 13 home wins.
Nestled in Northern Minnesota’s wooded region and located on the shore of Lake Bemidji, Bemidji State University sponsors 15 varsity athletic programs with NCAA Division I men’s and women’s hockey membership in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, while its 13 NCAA Division II programs hold membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).
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