OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Penn State men's soccer student-athlete Pierre Reedy was named a finalist for the 2021 Senior CLASS Award® in collegiate soccer as announced Thursday.
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.
Reedy, a midfielder from Kutztown, Pa., was named a top-30 candidate for the award for the first time in his career back in the beginning of October before earning a finalist position. Reedy is the first finalist for Penn State since Jason Yeisley in 2009 when Yeisley went on to win the award.
Reedy is the definition of a student-athlete with his outstanding work in the classroom. He has already completed both an undergraduate (bachelors in security and risk analysis, May 2020) and a masters degree (masters in corporate finance, May 2021), finishing with above a 3.60 GPA in both. He is now working on his third Penn State degree, a bachelor in sociology. In 2020-21, he was named a CoSIDA First Team Academic All-American as well as a First Team Scholar All-American by United Soccer Coaches. Reedy is a four-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and a two-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar.
Reedy's character shines in his leadership role as a three-time team captain, as voted by his teammates. He is dedicated to developing relationships with the team to ensure success on and off the field. He is also a member of the Athletic Directors Leadership Institute where he works with fellow student-athletes and athletics staff to enhance his leadership skills, learn from professionals, as well as working toward a personal leadership philosophy. He uses these experiences and lessons to implement them back to the men's soccer program to help build a better environment and culture. Reedy's hard-work and never-give-up attitude can also be recognized from his ability to come back and play after missing back-to-back seasons with injuries, as well as leading his team during the uncertain times of a global pandemic and a postponed season.
Reedy is a valued member of the State College and Penn State community for the last five and a half years. In February 2020, he was a dancer for THON, Penn State's dance marathon, a student-run philanthropy committed to enhancing the lives of children and families impacted by childhood cancer. As a dancer, he stood for 46-straight hours without sitting or sleeping while interacting with THON children and their families in the fight against childhood cancer. He also organized a one-day soccer tournament fundraiser, resulting in over 200 Penn State students registering to participate and a $1,200 fundraised. Reedy has also volunteered for The Acres Project at State, an organization that connects Penn State students and the Acres Project to develop new opportunities for individuals with autism.
On the pitch, Reedy had a breakout season in 2020-21, culminating in a career-high five goals scored and four assists added for a career-best 14 total points. For that he earned Third Team All-America status from United Soccer Coaches as well as First Team All-Big Ten honors and an All-Big Ten Tournament Team nod. He's helped the Nittany Lions to back-to-back seasons with trips to the NCAA Tournament as well as a Big Ten Tournament Championship game appearance in 2020-21 for the first time since 2011. So far in 2021 he's totaled two goals and three assists for seven points as he's helped the Nittany Lions be in contention for the Big Ten regular-season crown.
The finalists were chosen by a selection committee from the list of 30 men's candidates announced earlier in the season. Nationwide fan voting begins immediately to help select the winner, and fans are encouraged to vote on the Senior CLASS Award website through November 22. Fan votes will be combined with media and Division I head coaches' votes to determine the winner.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the 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 Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2021 NCAA Men's College Cup® championships in December.
Reedy and the Nittany Lions are preparing for the regular-season finale at Wisconsin on Sunday, Oct. 31. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET/Noon CT and will stream live on B1G+.
