Traverse City West defenseman Alec Carruth named MIHL showcase scholarship recipient

By Michael Caples –

When former Traverse City West defenseman Alec Carruth heads to Michigan State for his freshman year of classes this fall, he will be doing so with a little bit of help from the Michigan Interscholastic Hockey League and the Mannino family.

Carruth is the 2013 recipient of the David Mannino College Scholarship, which is associated with the MIHL Prep Hockey Showcase. The $1,000.00 scholarship is awarded to a player who competed in the annual Prep Hockey Showcase, and met all the selection criteria.

Carruth was selected by a random draw of qualifying senior-aged players and was presented with his new scholarship on Feb. 8. The scholarship will be applied to Carruth’s tuition for the 2013-14 academic year.

Traverse City West High School coach Jeremy Rintala nominated Carruth for the scholarship. The senior defenseman maintained a 3.70 GPA while managing a student-athlete lifestyle, and he will graduate with honors.

“I am honored and humbled to be the recipient of the David Maninno Scholarship Award for 2013,” Carruth said. “To be associated with a scholarship which honors the memory of such an accomplished individual is truly humbling.  The process was very competitive and the scholarship will help defray my expenses.  I would like to thank Coach Rintala for nominating me for this award.”

Carruth, the son of Patti and Sean, will pursue a degree in computer engineering at Michigan State University.

To honor the life of David Mannino, the Michigan Interscholastic Hockey League (MIHL) renamed the MIHL Showcase Scholarship – It is now the David Mannino Scholarship and will be awarded annually during the MIHL Prep Hockey Showcase.  The decision to rename the scholarships in David’s name came easily, “David’s life exemplified the goals and objectives of the scholarship – he was a student athlete and a young man with great moral character”, explained MIHL President Andy Weidenbach.  The scholarship is privately funded and does receive any proceeds from the MIHL Prep Hockey Showcase.