Reece Wilcox Secures His Future

While there are plenty of deserving players on the team this year, I'm happy to report that Reece Wilcox is the first Centennial to receive a scholarship commitment for next season, as he will be headed to the prestigious Cornell University in Ithica, New York. Cornell is an Ivy League school that combines the elements of a great educational system and a strong hockey program, leading me to believe that although Reece was targeted by more than 10 different schools, he made the best choice possible for himself. Although Reece isn't entirely sure what his area of study is going to be, he indicated to me that he will pursue something in the business/economics field.

At the age of 17, it's a rarity for any defenseman to make the jump to NCAA Division 1 hockey, so this is a tremendous honour for Reece, but one that is definitely well deserved. By the end of last season, Reece established himself as one of Cents' top dmen, especially in the playoff series vs Salmon Arm. And this season, outside of helping the Centennials to a 2nd place seeding at Christmas time, he took home a gold medal with Team Canada West as the lone Centennials representative at the World Junior A Challenge.

The Lynah Rink, home of the Cornell Big Red

Outside of his skills on the ice at both ends of the rink, Reece is a very intelligent individual who has been able to maintain a 4.0 GPA (the equivalent of straight A's) while playing hockey, which is extremely difficult with the heavy practice and game schedule that consumes the life of a BCHL player still in high school.

So on behalf of everyone in Merritt, I'd like to congratulate Reece on this accomplishment and wish him the best of luck next year. In the meantime, he still remains an integral part of the success of this year's squad, and should be a big help for the team in the stretch drive and into the playoffs, especially without any further distractions.

You can check out the full media release on Reece's scholarship here: http://www.merrittcentennials.com/leagues/newsletter.cfm?clientID=3359&leagueID=8957&page=57857

I had a chance to speak with Reece about his scholarship before the game Friday vs Salmon Arm, and here's what he had to say:


Reece Wilcox on Cornell by agreb21