Ten of the most exemplary student-athletes in Division I hockey have been selected as finalists for the 2012 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, Lowe’s announced Wednesday. 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 finalists represent all five conferences and 10 schools:
Chad Billins, D, Ferris State
Jack Connolly, F, Minnesota Duluth
Sean Duddy, D, Ohio State
Ryan Flanigan, F, Merrimack
Scott Greenham, G, Alaska
Sean Lorenz, D, Notre Dame
Jack Maclellan, F, Brown (Ft.McMurray Oil Barons)
Cody Reichard, G, Miami
Keir Ross, D, Cornell
Paul Weisgarber, F, Air Force
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 finalists were chosen by a media committee from the list of 20 candidates announced in October. Nationwide fan voting begins immediately to determine the winner. Fans are encouraged to vote on either the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award website or the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award Facebook fan page through March 18. Fan votes will be combined with media and Division I men’s ice hockey head coaches’ votes to determine the winner.
Lowe’s, an official Corporate Partner of the NCAA, will announce the Senior CLASS Award winner during the 2012 NCAA Men’s Frozen Four, which will be held April 5 and 7 in Tampa.
Past winners of the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award include current NHLer Colin Greening (Cornell) as well as Jacques Lamoureux (Air Force), Jeff Lerg (Michigan State), Landis Stankievich (Princeton) and David Brown (Notre Dame).