Courtesy Williams Sports Information

ATLANTA, Ga. – Williams senior ice hockey player William Bruce (Nashville, Tenn.) has been named one of five collegiate finalists for the prestigious 4th Annual Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup. The Coach Wooden Cup is an award given for the most outstanding role model among collegiate and professional athletes and is presented by Athletes for a Better World.

The Wooden Cup is given to a collegiate and a professional athlete who has made the greatest difference in the lives of others. The collegiate award recipient will be announced by Athletes for a Better World President Fred Northup at a ceremony held at Atlanta’s Ansley Golf Club on Thursday, Jan. 24.

With Peyton Manning, John Smoltz and John Lynch as previous recipients, the Wooden Cup is becoming one of the most prestigious awards in sports. Recipients are considered role models and athletes of excellence both on and off the field.

Founded by Athletes for a Better World (ABW), a non-profit organization committed to changing the culture of American sports, the Wooden Cup is unique in that it is open to athletes in all collegiate and professional sports. Nominations come from every conference in the NCAA.

Bruce, a four-year letterman for the Ephs created or was directly involved in 17 community service activities at Williams and he has been recognized regionally for his efforts. Bruce has been honored by the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition and Williams College – earning both the Grosvenor Memorial Cup, Campus Life Dedication to Community Service Award and has won a Martin-Wilson fellowship that cover his expenses for two years of graduate study at Oxford University (England). Bruce, is a double major (history and economics) and sports a 3.81 cumulative GPA, having attained Dean's List status each semester at Williams.

Joining the Ephs' Bruce as a finalist are:

Jill Johnson, Women's Basketball, Missouri Western University

Ashley King, Women's Ice Hockey, Wayne State University

Jonathan Moehlig, Baseball, Bloomfield College

Peyton Stovall, Men's Basketball, Ball State University.

A nomination packet with information on each of the five finalists is available at the Athletes for a Better world website.

The Wooden Cup is named in honor of John Wooden, one of the most successful coaches in collegiate basketball history. Wooden’s legacy as a compassionate, civic-minded individual continues to make him one of the most admired coaches in the history of sport.

Recipients of the Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup are chosen by a committee chaired by Vincent Dooley, former University of Georgia athletic director, and other distinguished individuals involved in athletics across the country.

For more information: 
Dick Quinn, Sports Information Director, Williams College