March 6, 2009
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Penn State Nittany Lion lacrosse goalie Drew Adams (Springfield, Pa.) has been named as a candidate for the prestigious 2009 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. Adams' nomination is the second time he's been nominated for a national post-season award as he is on the Tewaaraton Watch List as well.
Thirty NCAA® lacrosse student-athletes who strive to make a difference in their classroom, their communities and on their field of competition were identified as the 2009 candidates for the lacrosse division of the Lowe's Senior CLASS 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.
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 on their circle of influence. Lowe's, an official Corporate Partner of the NCAA®, expanded the award program beyond men's and women's basketball 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 (Bowl Subdivision) this year, the number of sports encompassed by the nation's premier award for seniors has expanded to nine.
This marks the third year for the men's lacrosse division of the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. Syracuse University attack and team captain Mike Leveille took home the award in 2008 and Cornell University goalkeeper Matt McMonagle was the inaugural winner in 2007. The 2009 class of candidates exemplifies student-athletes who succeed at more than just their sport. Twenty-seven NCAA colleges and universities are represented, with the University of Virginia, University of Notre Dame and Duke University each receiving two candidates.
The list of 30 student-athletes will be narrowed down to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will then be placed on the official ballot. The ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select the candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the "Four C's" of Classroom, Character, Community, and Competition. The award winner will be announced and presented with his trophy at the 2009 NCAA® Men's Lacrosse Championship in Foxborough, Massachusetts.