Jan. 17, 2007
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Senior guard Katie Montgomery was announced as one of the top 30 women’s candidates for the 2007 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award – the nation’s premier tribute to college seniors. The award is presented annually to an NCAA Division I male and female senior basketball player who excel both on and off the court.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the award was launched during the 2001-02 season to honor the attributes of college basketball seniors who remain committed to their university and pursue the many rewards that a senior season can bring.
Sponsored by Lowe’s, the award has already reached its sixth year. Finalists will be selected based on personal qualities that define a complete student athlete. These areas of excellence are identified under the categories of classroom, character and community, as well as the candidate’s performance and team loyalty on the court.
The greater emphasis on the off-court achievements of the candidate reflects Lowe’s commitment to helping young people build successful careers and encouraging students to use their skills to make an impact in life.
The Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award will also be expanding in the 2006-07 school year to include additional NCAA men’s and women’s sports. Lowe’s will announce the specific sports later this month.
“At Lowe’s, we take pride in acknowledging hard work and outstanding accomplishments both on and off the court,” said Bob Gfeller, Lowe’s senior vice president of marketing and advertising. “That commitment extends beyond our employees and customers and into the communities we serve where these student-athletes become real-life mentors. We’re thrilled to honor each candidate’s contributions and look forward to recognizing the award recipients later this year.”
This year’s list of 30 male and female candidates for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award for basketball includes representatives from 29 schools and 15 conferences for men, while the women encompass 27 schools and 13 conferences. On the men’s side, the Atlantic Coast Conference landed seven players on the list including two candidates from Virginia Tech. On the women’s side, the Southeastern Conference placed seven athletes on the list including a duo from Vanderbilt. The North Carolina and Duke women’s programs also have double candidates.
From the list of 30 nominees for each gender, a national media committee will select 10 finalists for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award in February as the conference basketball season hits its peak.
Those ten names will be placed on the official ballot for a nationwide vote during the NCAA Tournament in March. Fan balloting will be coupled with votes from coaches and media to determine the male and female recipients. Winners will be announced during the men’s and women’s respective Final Four weekends.
The award was conceived by sportscaster Dick Enberg, who continues to serve as Honorary Chairman. It was inspired by the remarkable story of former Duke star Shane Battier, who could have been an NBA lottery pick but returned to college for his senior season and led the Blue Devils to the national championship in 2001.
Previous winners of the men’s award include Juan Dixon of Maryland (2002), David West of Xavier (2003), Jameer Nelson of St. Joseph’s (2004), Wayne Simien of Kansas (2005) and J.J. Reddick of Duke (2006).
Recipients of the women’s award include Sue Bird of Connecticut (2002), LaToya Thomas of Mississippi State (2003), Alana Beard of Duke (2004), Kendra Wecker of Kansas State (2005) and Seimone Augustus of LSU (2006).
ABOUT THE CANDIDATESThirty candidates for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award are selected for both men’s and women’s basketball each year. Candidates must be an NCAA Division I senior and must have exhausted all years of their collegiate athletic eligibility. The complete list of 2006-07 candidates is attached.
ABOUT LOWE’SWith fiscal year 2005 sales of $43.2 billion, Lowe’s Companies, Inc. is a FORTUNE® 50 company that serves approximately 12 million customers a week at more than 1,350 home improvement stores in 49 states. Based in Mooresville, N.C., the 60-year old company is the second-largest home improvement retailer in the world. For more information, visit Lowes.com.
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Lowes Senior CLASS Award2006-2007 Women’s Nominees
Name, Height, Pos., School, Conference
Alison Bales, 6-7, C, Duke, ACC
Amanda Brown, 6-4, F/C, Penn State, Big Ten
Cori Chambers, 5-9, G, Georgia, SEC
Jazz Covington, 6-2, C, Louisville, Big East
Jessica Davenport, 6-0, G, Ohio State, Big Ten
Dee Davis, 6-5, C, Vanderbilt, SEC
Jessica Dickson, 5-11, F, South Florida, Big East
Shay Doron, 5-9, G, Maryland, ACC
Katie Gearlds, 6-1, G/F, Purdue, Big Ten
Lindsey Harding, 5-8, G, Duke, ACC
Kiera Hardy, 5-6, G, Nebraska, Big 12
Cameo Hicks, 5-10, G, Washington, Pac 10
Kate Hobbs, 6-2, F/C, United States Naval Academy, Patriot
Tiffany Jackson, 6-3, F, Texas, Big 12
Melanie Johnson, 6-1, F, South Carolina, SEC
Tara King, 6-0, F, Northern Iowa, Missouri Valley
Ivory Latta, 5-6, G, North Carolina, ACC
Camille Little, 6-2, F, North Carolina, ACC
Ali Mann, 6-1, F, Bowling Green, MAC
Lyndsey Medders, 5-9, G, Iowa State, Big 12
Katie Montgomery, 5-11, G, New Mexico, Mountain West
Carrie Moore, 5-9, G, Western Michigan, Mid-American
Navonda Moore, 5-10, G/F, Alabama, SEC
Lizanne Murphy, 6-1, F, Hofstra, Colonial
Shay Murphy, 5-11, G, Southern California, Pac 10
Sarah Pfeifer, 6-0, F, Arkansas, SEC
Armintie Price, 5-9, G, Mississippi, SEC
Noelle Quinn, 6-0, G, UCLA, Pac 10
Jillian Roberts, 6-1, F, Tulsa, Conference USA
Carla Thomas, 6-3, F/C, Vanderbilt, SEC