Hughes One of Five Finalists Nationally for Humanitarian Award
NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Aleca Hughes (Westwood, Mass.), a senior
forward on the Yale women’s ice hockey team, has been named
one of five finalists for the 2012 BNY Mellon Wealth Management
Hockey Humanitarian Award. This is the sixth time Yale has had a
finalist for the award, more than any other school. Hughes is now a
two-time finalist, making her the first player in Yale history to
accomplish that feat.
The Hockey Humanitarian Award, which is in its 17th year, seeks to
recognize male or female college hockey players at the Division I
or Division III levels who give back to their communities in the
true humanitarian spirit. Hughes’ efforts to help save lives
have been inspired by her teammate Mandi Schwartz ’10
(1988-2011), whose battle with cancer has led Hughes to start a
number of initiatives, including the Mandi Schwartz
Foundation.
Mandi passed away last April after battling cancer for more than
two years. Led by Hughes, Yale has organized a pair of major annual
events in Mandi’s name. The Mandi Schwartz Marrow Donor
Registration Drive at Yale -- led each spring by the women’s
ice hockey, football and field hockey teams -- has added more than
2,500 potential marrow donors to the Be The Match registry for
patients with life-threatening illnesses. The women’s ice
hockey team also has held a “White Out for Mandi”
fundraiser game at Ingalls Rink each of the past two falls. Those
games have raised more than $40,000.
Hughes started the Mandi Schwartz Foundation to help keep
Mandi’s legacy of helping others alive. In addition to the
White Out, the women’s ice hockey team is raising money for
the foundation by participating -- along with the Yale men’s
ice hockey team -- in the season-long “Goals for Good”
campaign. Through that campaign, ECAC Hockey teams compete against
each other to see who can raise the most money for charity.
Hughes is also her team’s representative for Yale
Athletics’ Thomas W. Ford ’42 Community Outreach
Program and has been involved in many team events such as Youth
Days and Skate with the Players. She and the Bulldogs also continue
to spend time with their adopted teammate Giana, a local
10-year-old girl who recently had surgery for a brain tumor. Those
community service efforts helped Yale, as a team, earn the New
Haven Register’s “Dave Solomon Memorial Sports Persons
of the Year Award” for 2011.
The Yale women’s ice hockey team has a well-established
tradition of community service, including four other Hockey
Humanitarian Award finalists -- Julianna Schantz-Dunn ’00,
Deanna McDevitt ’03, Kristin Savard ’07 (who won the
award in 2007) and Crysti Howser ‘09.
An American studies major, Hughes is a graduate of Hotchkiss
School. She was team captain and All-New England at Hotchkiss and
also played for the Connecticut Stars, earning two bronze medals
and one silver at Nationals.
There were 23 nominees for the Hockey Humanitarian Award this year,
including six repeat nominees. The four finalists beside Hughes are
Shawn Baker of Norwich, Kevin McNamara of Colgate, Tucker Mullin of
St. Anselm College and Cody Reichard of Miami.
Last season Hughes was one of eight finalists for the award.
The winner of the 2012 BNY Mellon Wealth Management Hockey
Humanitarian Award will be introduced in a ceremony on Friday, Apr.
6 as part of the 2012 NCAA Frozen Four in Tampa, Fla.
All-time Hockey Humanitarian Finalists
Yale Women’s Ice Hockey 6
Alaska Men’s Ice Hockey 4
Colgate Men’s Ice Hockey 4
Michigan State Men’s Ice Hockey 4
Northeastern Women’s Ice Hockey 4
Wisconsin Men’s Ice Hockey 3
