Northeastern University has received an inaugural U.S. Olympic Achievement Award, which honors coaches and student-athletes who won medals at either the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, or the 2010 Winter Olympics, in Vancouver, Canada.

Northeastern women’s hockey coach Dave Flint, who served as an assistant coach for the U.S. Women’s Olympic Team, took home a silver medal in February 2010. He was recognized at the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) convention, which was held last month in Orlando, Florida.

The awards — created by the U.S. Olympic Committee, U.S. National Governing Bodies for Sport and the NACDA — recognized 28 student-athletes and 38 coaches from 41 colleges and universities. Northeastern is the only program in the Colonial Athletic Association conference and one of two programs in Hockey East to receive the achievement award.

“When Dave Flint was selected as a coach for our Olympic women’s hockey team, it was an honor for everyone associated with Northeastern and our athletics program,” said athletics director Peter Roby. “We remain committed to supporting our coaches and student-athletes as they pursue their Olympic dreams.”

After taking a season-long sabbatical to coach the U.S. squad, Flint returned to Northeastern to lead the 2010-2011 Huskies to a 16-win season. The club lost to Boston College in the third round of the Hockey East Tournament.

After the 2008–2009 season — his first at Northeastern — Flint was a runner-up for Hockey East Coach of the Year. He had led the Huskies to a 12-20-3 record and to their first Hockey East playoff appearance since 2003–2004.

Prior to joining Northeastern, Flint served as head coach for five years at St. Anselm College, where he was named Eastern College Athletic Conference East Coach of the Year three times and was a three-time finalist for National Coach of the Year.

The Huskies will welcome nine new players to next year’s squad, which will compete with Boston University, Boston College and other conference rivals for Hockey East supremacy. “Hockey East has come a long way in a short period of time,” Flint said last February in assessing Northeastern’s successful season. “It’s very competitive, from the top to the bottom.”