From SeniorClassAward.com
OVERLAND PARK, KS (August 26, 2010) – Thirty NCAA® women’s volleyball student-athletes who excel both on and off the court were selected as candidates today for the first-ever Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award in volleyball. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition. The complete list of candidates follows this release.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
The 2010 candidate class includes eight American Volleyball Coaches Association All-Americans from last season. Twenty of the 30 have maintained a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or better. Two of the candidates were recognized by the College Sports Information Directors of America as 2009 Academic All-Americans, and 12 are members of teams ranked in the AVCA’s preseason top 25 poll. Lowe’s, an official Corporate Partner of the NCAA, will announce the Senior CLASS Award® winners during the 2010 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship in December.
The candidate class will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one finalist who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.
“We are excited to add women’s volleyball to the award program and are encouraged by the strong group of women who make up our first class of candidates,” said Tom Lamb, Lowe’s senior vice president of marketing. “These student-athletes are outstanding leaders and have contributed many hours to make their universities and communities better places.”
For more information on all the candidates, visit seniorCLASSaward.com.
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2010 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award
Volleyball Candidates
Name, Position, School
Sydney Anderson, Setter, Nebraska
Jennifer Berwanger, Outside Hitter, Southern Illinois
Ellie Blankenship, Libero, Northern Iowa
Nina Camaioni, Outside Hitter, Loyola (Maryland)
Laura DeBruler, Outside Hitter, Illinois
Allyson Doyle, Outside Hitter, Western Michigan
Francie Ekwerekwu, Middle Blocker, Oklahoma
Nikki Fowler, Outside/Right Side Hitter, Tennessee
Lauren Gibbemeyer, Middle Blocker, Minnesota
Amanda Graham, Middle Blocker, Robert Morris
Jenna Hagglund, Setter, Washington
Christy Hudson, Right Side/Middle Blocker, TCU
JennaRae Jester, Middle Blocker, Wyoming
Alex Kelly, Middle Blocker, Lipscomb
Chelsy Kimes, Outside Hitter, Coastal Carolina
Alix Klineman, Outside Hitter, Stanford
Lauren Krupsky, Outside Hitter, Central Michigan
Tracey Lam, Libero, Rice
Carli Lloyd, Setter, California
Jamie Mellies, Setter, Seattle
Jade Michaelsen, Setter, New Mexico
Sabel Moffett, Middle Blocker, Northwestern
Stephanie Niemer, Outside Hitter, Cincinnati
Becky Novacek, Middle Blocker, Dayton
Lauren Rapp, Right Side/Middle Blocker, Kentucky
Chloe Smith, Right Side Hitter, Central Arkansas
Mary Ashley Tippins, Setter, Georgia Tech
Dana Vargas, Setter, UC Santa Barbara
Arielle Wilson, Middle Hitter, Penn State
Lexi Zimmerman, Setter, Michigan
ABOUT THE AWARD
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School ®, the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award honors the attributes of senior student-athletes in four areas: community, classroom, character and competition. The award program is designed exclusively for college seniors who are utilizing their complete athletic eligibility, remaining committed to their university and pursuing the many rewards a senior season can bring. Sportscaster Dick Enberg, honorary chair of the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, first conceived the idea of an award for seniors in 2001 in response to the growing trend of men’s basketball players leaving school early for the NBA. The award program has expanded from men’s and women’s basketball to include 10 NCAA Division I sports. The award is sponsored by Lowe’s, an official Corporate Partner of the NCAA, and is managed by Premier Sports Management.