Affleck Selected Senior CLASS Award Candidate

OVERLAND PARK -- BYU senior pitcher Paige Affleck was selected as one of 30 NCAA softball student-athletes who excel both on and off the field as a candidate today for 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 – community, classroom, character and competition.

Affleck, BYU's all-time leader in wins and strikeouts, is currently working on a master's degree in exercise physiology after completing her bachelor's degree in exercise science in the summer after her sophomore year, maintaining a 3.5 GPA in her graduate coursework.

A two-game winner with a 1.83 ERA five games into the 2011 season, Affleck won 32 games, the most by any BYU pitcher in a season in 2010, while earning All-District Second Team, All-MWC First Team and Academic All-District First Team honors.

The 2011 candidate class includes 21 student-athletes with cumulative grade point averages of better than a 3.0. Thirteen are from teams ranked in the ESPN.com/USA Softball preseason top 25 poll, including Affleck and the Cougars, and seven players competed in the NCAA Women’s College World Series last season.

From the list of 30 candidates, a national media committee will select 10 finalists for the 2011 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award in late March. Those 10 names will then be placed on the official ballot for a nationwide vote. Fan balloting will be coupled with votes from coaches and media to determine the recipient of the award. The winner will be announced at the 2011 NCAA Women's College World Series in June.

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.

Lowe’s, an official Corporate Partner of the NCAA, will announce the winner April 3 at the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City.

For more information on all the candidates, visit www.seniorCLASSaward.com.

2011 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award Softball Candidates
Paige Affleck, Pitcher, BYU
Julie Brechtel, Second Base, Nebraska
Stephanie Brombacher, Pitcher, Florida
Megan Bush, Utility, Florida
Anna Cahn, Designated Player/Pitcher, Cal Poly
Morgan Childers, Pitcher, South Carolina Upstate
Elizabeth Dalrymple, Pitcher, Cornell
Annie Dubovec, Pitcher, Robert Morris
Danielle Glosson, Pitcher, Southern Illinois
Alisa Goler, Infield, Georgia
Kelly Grieve, Centerfield, Tennessee
Kristina Karpun, Catcher, Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne
Chelsea Kelley, Pitcher, Radford
Whitney Larsen, Infield, Alabama
Brittany Lastrapes, Left Field, Arizona
Alex Morocco, Centerfield, DePaul
Jennifer Nayudu, Outfield/Designated Player, Loyola Marymount
Kara Nelson, Second Base, Illinois State
Kristin Nicoletti, Outfield, Saint Louis
Toni Paisley, Pitcher, East Carolina
Kristine Priebe, First Base, Georgia Tech
Lesley Rogers, Outfield, Arizona State
Jenn Salling, Infield, Washington
Taylor Schlopy, Outfield, Georgia
Jenna Schwark, Utility, Missouri State
April Setterlund, Outfield, Boston
Dorian Shaw, Outfield, Michigan
Jessie Snyder, Second Base/Utility, Bucknell
Andrea Waters, Outfield/Pitcher, Delaware State
Danielle Zymkowitz, Second Base, Illinois