FMR Spartan Nation Great Jeff Lerg Named NCAA Award Winner

Former Icer Will Receive NCAA Top VIII Award

 

East Lansing, Mich. - Former Spartan netminder Jeff Lerg will be bestowed the highest honor given to an undergraduate by the NCAA when he is recognized as one of the Association's 2010 Top VIII Award winners who will be recognized at the NCAA Convention in Atlanta next month.

The Today's Top VIII award recognizes current student-athletes who have completed their athletics eligibility for their success on the fields and courts, in the classroom and in the community. The award is open to all athletes in Divisions I, II, and III, and all sports sponsored by the NCAA. Recipients will be honored January 15 at the NCAA Honors and Delegates Celebration.

Lerg is the second Michigan State athlete to win this prestigious award, joining basketball standout Greg Kelser, who was selected in 1980. He is also just the second ice hockey player to ever be selected; Northern Michigan's Brad Werenka was selected in 1992. Michigan State head coach Rick Comley was Werenka's coach with the Wildcats.

In addition, Michigan State is one of just four Big Ten institutions to have more than one Top VIII winner.

"This is certainly a tremendous honor not only for myself, but also for Michigan State University," noted Lerg when notified of his selection.

Jeff Lerg, ice hockey, Michigan State
•Finance major.
•Member of 2007 NCAA national championship team, and member of the Frozen Four all-tournament team.
•Chosen as 2007 USA Hockey College Player of the Year and NCAA Midwest Regional MVP.
•Michigan State and Central Collegiate Hockey Association career saves leader; ranks second all-time in NCAA history with 3,996 stops.
•2009 CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine At-Large Academic all-American of the Year; two-time first-team Academic All-American.
•2008 CCHA Scholar-Athlete of the Year and three-time CCHA All-academic team selection.
•Active participant in Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Shoot for the Cure (a Michigan State hockey outreach initiative to raise money for children's cancer charities), Project Read at local elementary schools, Have Fun, Play Hockey clinics and wheelchair hockey games to raise funds for local wheelchair hockey team.
•Recipient of 2009 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award for ice hockey.