MSU hockey player wins WCHA Student-Athlete of the Year
Maverick senior co-captain Corbin Boyd has had success on and off the ice this season
Kevin Korbel
Sports Editor
Minnesota State senior forward Corbin Boyd has been named the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year, powered by GoodWood Hockey, as announced by conference officials a couple of days ago.
Boyd, a native of Minnetonka, Minnesota, served as a co-captain for the 2018-19 season for the Mavericks, while boasting a 3.98 grade point average in the classroom and plans to graduate with a Biochemistry degree before attending Pharmacy school next year.
Corbin is the second player from Minnesota State selected as the WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year – goaltender Katie Beauduy was selected in 1998-99.
Boyd had this to say about receiving the award, “It was a huge honor to receive the WCHA outstanding student athlete of the year award. There are a lot of very deserving girls in our league that could have won that award so I feel very grateful for being chosen as the award winner.”
After a career best season in 2018-19 on the ice, where she accumulated eight goals, 14 assists, 22 points, 114 shots on goal and 19 blocked shots for the Mavericks, which are all career highs for her, she’s also made an effort off the ice to better herself in the classroom.
“Balancing hockey with my school hasn’t been the easiest over the past four years, especially since hockey spreads from September until March,” said Boyd, “I’ve been so fortunate to have such understanding professors and classmates over my time at MNSU who are always so accommodating with my hockey practices, games, and travel schedules.”
She also mentioned how it was difficult at times to keep up with school work, but she was able to keep up with it due to her dedication to making class a priority, “I had to miss a lot of exams and lectures which would result in me making up the work on my own or teaching the material to myself. I’ve learned how to manage my time pretty well and not to procrastinate on my schoolwork.”
A three-time WCHA Scholar Athlete, two-time WCHA All-Academic Team member, CoSIDA Academic All-District Team member and an AHCA All-American Scholar honoree, Boyd has been nothing short of stellar in the classroom for the Mavericks.
Boyd has also been involved outside of the classroom by being the Mavericks’ team representative for the Headway Foundation’s Concussion Awareness Weekend the last two seasons.
After college, Boyd plans to graduate with a degree in biochemistry, and as of just recently has been accepted to pharmacy school for next year. She will then be attending Creighton University the next four years to obtain her Doctor of Pharmacy degree. She hopes to stay involved with hockey in some way once she leaves school.
In her career at Minnesota State, Boyd has played in 132 games, while scoring 15 goals and collecting 41 assists for 56 points in her career as a Maverick.
Minnesota State finished its season a couple of days ago after being swept by No. 10 Ohio State in the WCHA Tournament Quarterfinals. They finished the season with a record of 9-19-7, and now look to compensate for the loss of Boyd next season.
As Boyd moves into life after hockey, she’s now left a pair of big skates to fill for the team on the ice this next season.
Header photo courtesy of Maverick Athletics.