GRAND FORKS, N.D. --- The University of North Dakota men's and women's hockey teams combined for 13 student-athletes named to the eighth annual group of Western Collegiate Hockey Association Scholar-Athlete Award recipients for 2012-13.

UND's Shelby Amsley-Benzie (Warroad, Minn.), Andrea Dalen (Honefoss, Norway), Shannon Kaiser (Crookston, Minn.), Jocelyne Lamoureux (Grand Forks, N.D.), Monique Lamoureux (Grand Forks, N.D.), Mary Loken (Roseau, Minn.), Mark MacMillan (Penticton, British Columbia), Nick Mattson (Chanhassen, Minn.), Allison Parizek (Minot, N.D.), Michelle Bonapace-Potvin (Royn-Noranda, Quebec), Dillon Simpson (Edmonton, Alberta), Jordan Slavin (Erie, Colo.) and Tori Williams (The Pas, Manitoba) were named this year's recipients.

"The announcement of our annual WCHA Scholar-Athletes is always a very special time of the year," said WCHA Commissioner Bruce McCleod, Associate Commissioner Sara Martin, Michigan Tech Athletic Director Suzanne Sanregret and Minnesota Duluth Faculty Representative Al Mensinger in a joint statement.

"It is an opportunity for both the Association and our member teams to publically acknowledge the outstanding accomplishments of these young men and women and pay tribute to the amount of time, hard work and dedication each of them put into their already demanding schedules as student-athletes. Achieving this high honor is a  remarkable tribute to every one of them and on behalf of the entire WCHA family, we wish them all the success in the world."

Jocelyne Lamoureux, Monique Lamoureux, Loken, Parizek and Slavin are three-time recipients of the distinguished award while Bonapace-Potvin and Simpson are now two-time honorees.

The WCHA Scholar-Athlete Award was developed through Association member team Faculty Representatives and approved by the conference membership beginning with the 2005-06 season. To earn recognition as a WCHA Scholar-Athlete, conference-member student-athletes must have completed at least one year of residency at their present institution prior to the current academic year and must also have a grade-point average of at least 3.50 on a 4.0 scale for the previous two semesters or three quarters, or may qualify if his/her overall GPA is at least 3.50 for all terms at his or her present institution.

Over the first eight years of the award, there have now been 639 WCHA Scholar-Athlete honorees representing all 12 men's-member and all eight women's-member institutions.