March 6, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Senior captain Danielle Kinley (Carlsbad. Calif.) is among thirty elite collegiate softball student-athletes as a candidate for the 2009 softball division of the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. 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.
A film major, Kinley has maintained a GPA of 3.70 throughout her career and is set to graduate this May. In the future, she plans to make wilflife and social documentaries. She also aspires to get her masters in sociology, and to do social work while advancing social justice in the U.S. and the world. Kinley is a two-time team captain for the Nittany Lions and has taken an active role in THON by helping to coordinate this year's Homerun Derby,
On the field, the All-American is fourth all-time in career doubles and is on track to break that record before the season closes out. She is also fifth in career batting average at .342 and fifth in walks at 74. She has started 157 of the 160 games she has played in acquiring 161 hits and 81 RBI. More recently, she was drafted to the Philadelphia Force as the 16th overall pick in the 2009 NPF draft.
The list of 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists at the end of March, 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.
Kinley and the rest of the Nittany Lions are competing in the Stanford Louisville Slugger Classic this weekend. They will kickoff the tournament against No. 5 Stanford at 6:45 p.m. ET and will immediately follow with a game against Vermont. Fans can follow the action live via Gametracker at www.GoPSUsports.com.