University of Minnesota Duluth senior forward
Clara Van Wieren has been named a College Sports Communicators 2023-24 Academic First Team All-American for the Women's At-Large NCAA Division I Team.
Van Wieren posted a 4.00 GPA as a double major in political science and philosophy -- degrees the captain graduated with in May. Named the 2023-24 Western Collegiate Hockey Association's Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year in March, an award presented annually to the league's top student-athlete who excels on the ice and in the classroom.
Already named a 2023-24 Krampade Division I All-American Scholars for a fourth time last month, Van Wieren, who was also just named to the USA Hockey Women's National Team Festival in August, scored a career-best 13 goals last season with 24 points. The center has 85 career points on 38 goals and 47 assists, including 11 game-winning goals -- five of which came in 2023-24.
A native of Okemos, Mich., Van Wieren has been on the Dean's List at UMD for the past three years, and was a member of the university's honors program, Van Wieren is a UMD Department of Political Science Scholarship recipient, as well as the UMD Women's Hockey Books Scholarship recipient. A three-time teaching assistant for Political Theory, Philosophy of Dialogue and Debate and Freshman Seminar, Van Wieren is a Curriculum Committee Student Representative and the President and Equity Chair of Department of Athletics Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council (2022-23, 2023-24) – just to name a few of the organizations the senior has been involved in.
Van Wieren is first Bulldog since former All-American, Olympian and current PWHL defenseman
Ashton Bell to earn spot on the first team since 2021-22,