Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award Finalists - Kelsey Davis

Winner will be determined by votes from fans, coaches, media

Davis Among 10 Finalists for Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award

OVERLAND PARK, KS – University of Portland senior goalkeeper Kelsey Davis is one of 10 women’s soccer finalists for the 2009 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, presented to one individual per sport who excels both on and off the field. Fan voting, combined with votes from coaches and media members, will determine the recipient of the award.

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.

Davis looks to follow in the footsteps of former University of Portland teammate Stephanie Cox (nee Lopez), who was the inaugural winner of the award in 2007.

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 30 men’s candidates and 30 women’s candidates that were announced in August.

Nationwide balloting begins immediately to determine the winner. Lowe’s, an official Corporate Partner of the NCAA, will announce the Senior CLASS Award winners during the 2009 NCAA Men’s and Women’s College Cup championships in early December.

The women’s finalists for 2009 are: Elizabeth Betterbed, United States Military Academy; Kelsey Davis, University of Portland; Kristi Eveland, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Theresa Ferraina, Loyola University Maryland; Lauren Lopez, University of North Carolina, Greensboro; Blakely Mattern, University of South Carolina; Lizzy Nichols, Harvard University; Kelley O’Hara, Stanford University; Emily Peterson, Texas A&M University; and Myra Sack, Dartmouth College.

These 10 names will be placed on the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award soccer ballot for a nationwide vote beginning today and concluding November 13. Fan balloting will be available on the award’s official Web site, http://www.seniorCLASSaward.com, as well as through text messaging. Fans can text SOCCER to 74567 to vote for men’s finalists and GOAL to 74567 to vote for women’s finalists. These votes will be combined with votes from coaches and media to determine the recipient of the award.

“We commend these student-athletes for their outstanding achievements on and off the field,” said Tom Lamb, Lowe’s senior vice president of marketing. “Lowe’s is proud of its affiliation with the NCAA and college athletics, and we want to honor these competitors who have displayed a commitment to character, community and the classroom in addition to recognizing their accomplishments on the soccer field.”

Davis has an extensive list of achievements on the pitch, earning her first call-up to the U.S. Senior National Team this past summer. An All-West Coast Conference goalkeeper, Davis ranks among the top five in Portland history in goals-against average and shutouts despite just two-plus seasons with the Pilots.

Davis makes her biggest impact as a leader and through her community service efforts. She organized a fundraiser during the 2008-09 season to adopt a room at the Ronald McDonald House Charities after years serving as a volunteer. The team raised over $6,000 and created a University of Portland soccer-themed room at the Legacy Emanuel Ronald McDonald House last spring.

A native of Thousand Oaks, Calif., Davis is also a leader among her peers. She was the UP Student-Athlete Advisory Committee President last year and is one of the team captains this year.

This marks the third year for the men’s and women’s soccer division of the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, and more than 175 student-athletes were nominated this year. Wake Forest University midfielder Sam Cronin received the men’s award for the 2008 season, while Kerri Hanks from the University of Notre Dame won the women’s award. In 2007, United State Naval Academy goalkeeper Evan Barnes took home the inaugural men’s soccer award, while Lopez took the women’s honor.

eProf wrote:You can vote for Kelsey at http://www.seniorclassaward.com/vote/womens_soccer_2009/--they allow one vote per computer per day. I just checked, and Kelsey is in last place, with something like 3.8% of the vote.

Vote early! Vote often!