LAKE PLACID, N.Y. – Julie Chu (Fairfield, Conn.), a senior forward from Harvard University, was today announced as the recipient of the 2007 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award.
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the award is presented annually by The USA Hockey Foundation to the top player in NCAA Division I women’s ice hockey.
Chu received the award at a brunch ceremony at the Hilton Lake Placid Resort in Lake Placid, N.Y. She was chosen from a group of three finalists that also included Meghan Agosta (Ruthven, Ont.), a freshman forward from Mercyhurst College, and Sara Bauer (St. Catherines, Ont.), a senior forward from the University of Wisconsin who won the award in 2006.
“In my thirteen years coaching at Harvard, no one has distinguished themselves more than Julie,” said Harvard Head Coach Katey Stone. “Her commitment to her teammates, coaches and school far exceeds that of any of her predecessors. She is a gifted athlete and true humanitarian.”
Chu, who was a top-10 finalist for the Kazmaier Award in 2005, led the nation with 2.20 points per game during the 2006-07 campaign. The Ivy League co-Player of the Year’s 66 points included a nation’s best 48 assists as she ended her four-year career atop the Harvard record books with 196 helpers.
A unanimous First Team All-ECAC Hockey League pick, Chu held the No. 1 spot in the league in points (53), assists (37) and power-play points (27). The two-time Olympian served as one of Harvard’s co-captains this season, leading the Crimson to a 23-8-2 record and a fifth straight NCAA-tournament appearance.
Chu earned All-America honors for a third time this year, landing a spot on the First Team after being a Second Team honoree in both 2002 and 2005. Her 284 career points is tops in NCAA history.
Beyond her on-ice accomplishments, Chu volunteers at the UniLu homeless shelter and does public speaking at local elementary schools. In addition, she serves as a Student-Athlete Advisory Committee representative at Harvard and is a member of Athletes in Action and Women’s Sports Foundation.
NOTES: Julie Chu is the fifth Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award winner from Harvard (A.J. Mleczko-1999, Jennifer Botterill-2001 & 2003, Angela Ruggiero-2004) … The 2007 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Brunch was held in conjunction with the NCAA Women’s Frozen Four, which will conclude with the championship game tomorrow (March 18) at 1 p.m. EDT at the Lake Placid Olympic Center … The Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award recipient is chosen by a 13-member selection committee comprised of NCAA Division I women’s ice hockey coaches, representatives of the print and broadcast media and a representative of USA Hockey, the National Governing Body for the sport of ice hockey in the United States … The Kazmaier Award is supported in part by a grant from the National Hockey League Foundation.
ABOUT THE PATTY KAZMAIER MEMORIAL AWARD
An award of The USA Hockey Foundation, the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award recognizes the accomplishments of the most outstanding player in NCAA Division I women’s ice hockey each season. Other selection criteria include outstanding individual and team skills, sportsmanship, performance in the clutch, personal character, competitiveness and a love of hockey. Consideration is also given to academic achievement and civic involvement.
ABOUT PATTY KAZMAIER
The Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award is named in honor of the late Patty Kazmaier, who was a four-year varsity letter-winner and All-Ivy League defenseman for Princeton University from 1981-86. An accomplished athlete who helped lead the Tigers to the Ivy League Championship in three consecutive seasons (1981-84), Patty Kazmaier-Sandt died on Feb. 15, 1990, at the age of 28 following a long struggle with a rare blood disease.
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