HAMILTON, N.Y. (2/7/12) – Senior Colgate men's hockey player Mark Nasca was recently selected as a Charles A. Dana Scholar for his outstanding academic performance in 2011.

The award was initiated by Mr. Dana in 1965 as a way of recognizing high academic achievement, as well as effective leadership at Colgate University. The honor is given out each spring and seniors, juniors and sophomores are all eligible. Nasca was chosen for his “superior academic achievement as well as demonstrated leadership in the college community.”

Nasca, an economics major, has been a model student-athlete during his years at Colgate. He has been a regular at the Raider Honor Roll luncheons, a three-time ECAC Hockey All-Academic Team member and was named a 4.0 scholar last fall at the luncheon for earning a 4.0 grade point average during last year's spring semester. He has earned a 4.0 major GPA and recorded a 3.86 GPA this fall. 

In addition to his coursework and play on the ice, Nasca had a paper that was published in the most recent issue of ECONPress, which is an undergraduate economics journal. The paper was titled “Exploring the Absence of Inflation during Aggressive Quantitative Easing Programs.” In the paper, with the use of an accurate, well-specified empirical model, he highlights the relationship between private savings and monetary expansion on the price level in the U.S. economy. Currently, he is working on his honors thesis and it uses theoretical models to explain what is influencing Americans to increase savings and decrease household debt, which are two things that typically have not been seen in recent recessions.

On the ice, Nasca has played in 22-of-28 games this season on the hustling fourth line for the Raiders. He has a goal and two helpers for three points. He scored the lone goal against No. 11/12 Union on Friday night in a 3-1 loss. He has skated in 58 career games and has six points on three goals and three assists. His three points this season ties a career-high, which he set last year with two goals and an assist.

Nasca and the Raiders will be back on the ice this weekend with a visit by Yale and Brown to Starr Rink. Both games are set for a 7 p.m. start with the game against the Bulldogs on Time Warner Cable Sports in Central New York.