Van Wieren Shines as Nominee for 2025 Hockey Humanitarian Award!

University of Minnesota Duluth women’s hockey graduate forward Clara Van Wieren has been recognized as one of 14 candidates for the 2025 Hockey Humanitarian Award, the Hockey Humanitarian Award Foundation declared on Tuesday.

Van Wieren, serving as team captain, is currently pursuing a Master’s in Professional Studies after she obtained a Bachelor of Arts in both Political Science and Philosophy last May as a celebrated member of the University Honors Program. She is also recognized as the No. 4 Bulldogs’ leading scorer. The graduate forward exemplifies a well-rounded student-athlete who is dedicated to serving her community. While she focuses on her Master’s and manages a demanding Division I women’s hockey schedule that includes extensive travel during a rigorous fall semester, Van Wieren prioritizes community engagement through her roles as president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and co-president of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council. Under her leadership, both organizations have undertaken a series of ambitious initiatives and successfully turned them into reality over the past year.

This year, Van Wieren has taken on the role of volunteer coordinator for the women’s hockey team. This effort includes organizing an inaugural week-long team volunteer event, leading to over 150 hours of community service at various local nonprofit organizations such as Chum, 7 Star Ranch leadership program for veterans, youth, and first responders; the Duluth Children’s Museum renovation project; and Park Point Beach clean-up and restoration efforts. Additionally, she has coordinated coaching opportunities for players to engage with youth hockey teams and special needs hockey programs in the greater Duluth area.

However, Van Wieren’s true passion for assisting others is most evident through the initiatives she initiated and facilitated via her work with SAAC and DEI. Her most significant projects arose directly from needs she identified within the Duluth community.

The SAAC initiative collaborated with Food Forward, originating from an honors class that Clara attended a few years back titled Childhood Brain Development. The course linked students with the “First Ladies of the Hillside,” a group largely comprised of single mothers who have experienced homelessness or live close to the poverty line, who participated alongside UMD students to foster interaction.

Van Wieren took the lead on SAAC’s partnership with Food Forward, a nonprofit organization serving 36 local families to prepare weekly meals for low-income households. In addition to volunteering with Food Forward, UMD’s SAAC group, led by Van Wieren, provided gifts for these families, including items they may not typically purchase for themselves, assembled gift bags, which were distributed with the weekly meals.

The DEI’s principal initiative, now in its third year and another program co-created by Van Wieren, partners with the Duluth community to conduct one of the largest clothing drives benefiting local schools that need children’s clothing the most. The drive commenced on October 31, with DEI placing donation boxes at all home events for a month and a half, encouraging individuals and families to contribute gently used or new clothing for children of all ages. DEI also teamed up with Minnesota Power to purchase new clothing for the drive, and this year, DEI received such an abundance of clothing donations after sorting them by size and item that they expanded the number of Duluth schools receiving clothing for their closet programs.

While Clara Van Wieren has successfully focused significant community attention on her two primary initiatives, it is unquestionable that her community involvement extends well beyond these efforts. A staunch supporter of DEI’s mission and its message of inclusivity (a theme you’ll often hear from her in the locker room), Van Wieren has played a vital role in implementing the NCAA Diversity and Inclusion Social Media Campaign at UMD, leading discussions with student-athletes and university administrators, and co-facilitating The Loyola Project Movie Night, an event dedicated to promoting anti-racism in athletics that attracted over 200 participants.

The award, celebrating its 30th anniversary season, is awarded annually to college hockey’s most exemplary citizen—an athlete who makes notable contributions not only to his or her team but also to the broader community through leadership in volunteer service. Van Wieren is the Bulldogs’ third nominee for the award in the last four years—Gabbie Hughes, a former teammate of Van Wieren, was nominated in both 2022 and 2023 and became a two-time finalist before being honored as the Hockey Humanitarian Award winner in April 2023.