OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Thirty NCAA® softball student-athletes who excel both on and off the field were selected as candidates today for the 2013 Senior CLASS Award® in collegiate softball. 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 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 2013 candidate class includes 15 candidates who have a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher. Six were named to the CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-American team, and seven were members of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-America team.
The candidate class will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 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. The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2013 NCAA Women’s College World Series® in Oklahoma City May 30 through June 5.
Softball Candidates
Emily Allard, Northwestern
Brooke Andresen, Loyola (Chicago)
Nikki Armagost, Pacific
Jennifer Barnett, Northern Illinois
B.B. Bates, UCLA
Kayla Braud, Alabama
Amy Buntin, Notre Dame
Allie Cashion, Appalachian State
Raven Chavanne, Tennessee
Kelly Coker, Rhode Island
Kara Dill, Kentucky
Kara Dornbos, Central Michigan
Rachele Fico, LSU
Olivia Galati, Hofstra
Mikkel Griffin, Southern Utah
Jolene Henderson, California
Kelsey Horton, Florida
Maggie Hull, Kansas
Shannon Jones, Siena
Courtney Liddle, Virginia Tech
Blaire Luna, Texas
Kelly Majam, Hawai'i
Jenna Marston, Missouri
Jennifer Ong, Yale
Jenna Rich, Stanford
Keilani Ricketts, Oklahoma
Emily Roesch, Boston
Jessica Shults, Oklahoma
Stephanie Thompson, Brown
Brianna Turang, Oklahoma
