Creighton’s Jessica Wakasugi, Evansville’s Lissa Fehlman and Illinois State’s Amber Smith have been named candidates for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, the organization announced on Friday. 

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 those leaders to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact.

Lowe’s, an official Corporate Partner of the NCAA, expanded the award program in 2007 to include six additional NCAA Division I sports - men’s and women’s soccer, men’s ice hockey, men’s lacrosse, baseball, and softball. With the addition of football this past fall, the number of sports encompassed by the nation’s premier award for seniors increased to nine.

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: Classroom, Character, Community, and Competition.

Twenty-nine NCAA colleges and universities are represented among the 30 candidates for the 2009 award, with the University of Alabama being the lone school with two selections.

The list of 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. The ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans. The award winner will be announced and recognized at the 2009 NCAA® Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City.

Creighton Release

OMAHA, Neb. – Creighton softball outfielder Jessica Wakasugi has been named one of 30 national candidates for the 2009 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award as announced Friday. The Woodbury, Minn., native becomes the second Bluejay in the three-year history of the award to be a candidate.

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 those leaders to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact.

Lowe’s, an official Corporate Partner of the NCAA, expanded the award program in 2007 to include six additional NCAA Division I sports - men’s and women’s soccer, men’s ice hockey, men’s lacrosse, baseball, and softball. With the addition of football this past fall, the number of sports encompassed by the nation’s premier award for seniors increased to nine.

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: Classroom, Character, Community and Competition.

Heading into play at the Hillenbrand Invitational this weekend in Tucson, Ariz., Wakasugi had started Creighton’s last 175 games in center field. Her career average of .324 ranks seventh in school history. As a junior last year she led the team with a career-best .353 average and nine stolen bases. She was a first-team all-Missouri Valley Conference honoree, a MVC Scholar-Athlete First-Teamer and was on the CoSIDA ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VII First-Team.

Evansville Release

EVANSVILLE, Ind.--University of Evansville senior softball player Lissa Fehlman (Elgin, Ill.) has been named as one of 30 national candidates for the prestigious Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, which is presented annually to the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete of the Year in eight different sports.

Originally launched in 2001, the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award program focuses on the “Four C’s” of classroom, character, community, and competition.  An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the award honors the attributes of college seniors who remain committed to their university and pursue the many rewards that a senior season and complete college education brings.  Lowe’s, an official corporate partner of the NCAA, will award the winners with trophies during the 2009 NCAA Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City, Okla.

Fehlman, who is a interdisciplinary studies major, has already been named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week and Scholar-Athlete of the Week this season. She currently has a .455 batting average with five doubles, a grand slam, and seven RBI. 

Illinois State Release

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – For her excellence in the classroom and on the softball field, Illinois State senior softball player Amber Smith was selected as a candidate for the softball division of the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award as the nation’s outstanding senior student-athlete in NCAA Division I softball, the award’s selection committee announced Friday.  Smith was one of 30 of the nation’s best collegiate softball players to be honored as a candidate, and one of two honorees from the Missouri Valley Conference, joining Creighton centerfielder Jessica Wakasugi on the list of 30 candidates.

The award, which is presented annually to NCAA Division I student-athletes in nine sports, focuses on the “Four C’s” of classroom, character, community and competition.  Smith is the second Illinois State softball student-athlete in the last two years to be named a candidate for the award.  Former Redbird Tiffany Prager earned the honor in 2008.

“Being honored as one of 30 candidates for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award is a very prestigious honor for Amber and for the Illinois State softball program,” said head coach Melinda Fischer.  “This honor shows the significance that Amber has achieved in balancing the rigorous demands of both academics and athletics within a four-year period.  It takes a special person to accomplish both of those feats, both from an organizational and mental approach to being successful.”

Smith was humbled by the news of being one of 30 candidates for an honor that is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious in NCAA Division I softball.

“This is a tremendous honor for me,” said Smith.  “I started in the classroom a little slow at Illinois State, but I think I’ve rebounded and brought my performance in the classroom up to par with my ability on the softball field.  To be named a candidate for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award is a great honor, not only for me, personally, but also for the entire Illinois State softball program, as it really speaks to the high level of academic and athletic success we are guided to achieve.”