NORTHFIELD, Vt. – Braeden Ostepchuk's career accomplishments read more like a wish list instead of a recounting of his college career. It is seemingly impossible that one person could accomplish so much in only four years. Yet, as we continue to celebrate National Division III Week, today we look at the amazing college career Braeden had and how he took advantage of the many diverse opportunities during his time at Norwich University.
His athletic career alone would make most people envious. During the ice hockey team's run to their fourth National Championship in program history, Braeden had a 16-0 record becoming the first Norwich goalie to ever lead the country in winning percentage. He graduated as one of the top goaltenders in program history as well as being one of the program leaders in total wins and shutouts. Oh, he was also the NEHC Goalie of the Year just for good measure.
Braeden was equally as successful in the classroom as he was on the ice. In fact, he was the first 3-time Academic All-American in school history. The Mechanical Engineering major had a 4.0 GPA and was the Valedictorian of the Class of 2018. He added another first in school history when he was named the 2017-18 CoSIDA At-Large Academic All-American of the Year. During the 2017 NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship, Ostepchuk won the NCAA Elite 90 Award for having the highest cumulative GPA out of all the student-athletes at the championship. It is a pretty good weekend when you get to come home with two trophies, the National Championship and Elite 90 Award, which perfectly represent the ideal of a complete student-athlete.
On top of the already impressive college resume, Ostepchuk was also part of the Norwich University student team that won the annual NASA Breakthrough, Innovative, and Game-changing (BIG) Idea Challenge. It is an engineering design competition in which NASA enlists university teams from around the country in order to develop creative solutions to some of the agency's most relevant challenges. In March 2018, the team won the competition for their innovative flexible solar array design using inflatable booms which gave the array a compact stowed configuration and low launch mass. The solar array could some day help to power a future colony on Mars.
"Norwich has given me opportunities to explore paths in my future that I never believed to exist, and the connections I have made far exceeded expectations," Ostepchuk said. "The environment is both demanding and stimulating at the physical, mental and emotional levels, encouraging personal growth. In addition to the Norwich mantra, 'Expect Challenge. Achieve Distinction,' I also found that the Guiding Values of Norwich University were immediately instilled and have become more relevant than ever before. Beyond my technical knowledge stemming from an engineering degree and development as a competitive hockey player, Norwich taught me how to think and how to interact with people. These are the skills that I will take with me throughout my life."
It is hard to comprehend Ostepchuk having time to pack any more into his college experience, but he did. He was certainly focused on athletic success, academic success, and even into the solar system. But, he was also focused on those just outside of campus. The humanitarian made sure to set aside time to volunteer for events such as Special Olympics and National Walk to School Day.
Braeden is a truly great representation of the complete Norwich student-athlete.
