AMESBURY, Mass. - The Hockey East Association announced today that Boston College’s Jan Korec (Bratislava, Slovakia) and Holy Cross’s Lulu Rourke (Wellesley, Mass.) have been honored as the 2025-26 Hockey East Academic Champions. The award was created in 2024 honoring outstanding accomplishments from one men’s and one women’s player both on the ice and in the classroom.
“Hockey East is proud to honor Jan and Lulu as our 2025-26 Academic Champions,” said Hockey East Commissioner Steve Metcalf. “Their accomplishments in the classroom while competing at the highest level of collegiate hockey are commendable and deserving of this distinction.”
Korec, a junior goaltender, has a 5-3-0 record in 11 career games for the Eagles good for a .812 winning percentage. He owns a 2.23 goals against average and .908 save percentage along with two shutouts. He posted a clean sheet in his first career start, a 19-save shutout in the 2024 Beanpot, and went undefeated (2-0-0) in his freshman campaign.
Off the ice, Korec has also excelled academically with a cumulative 3.93 GPA across his three years of studying Human-Centered Engineering, one of the most demanding majors at Boston College, and minoring in Computer Science. The Bratislava, Slovakia native has earned two nods onto the Hockey East All-Academic Team, placement on the Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Honor Roll for 2023-24 and 2024-25, and Dean’s List recognition in every semester since he began his studies at Boston College.
Korec is also active within the campus community, participating in service initiatives including Team Impact and the BC Pen Pal Program.
Rourke, a junior forward, carries a 3.85 GPA at Holy Cross while double-majoring in Neuroscience and Chinese Language. She is also a visible presence throughout the Worcester community, working with the Junior Crusaders U8 girls hockey team, where she helps mentor and inspire young athletes. Additionally, Lulu tutors Chinese-speaking citizens at the Worcester Senior Center, helping them improve their English pronunciation and sharing valuable cultural insights.
On the ice, Rourke helped Holy Cross to a record-breaking season in 2025-26. Playing in all situations, including power plays and penalty kills, Rourke racked up career-highs in goals (7), assists (9), and points (16), and nearly doubled her previous best with 123 shots on goal. Her efforts pushed Holy Cross to a 19 wins, including 10 in league play and a fourth-place finish, all new records for the Crusaders during their Hockey East-era.
