OVERLAND PARK, Kan.-- A pair of America East women's basketball senior standouts are candidates for the 2011-12 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.
UMBC guard Michelle Kurowski (Hicksville, N.Y.) and University of New Hampshire forward Denise Beliveau (Framingham, Mass.), both all-conference honorees, each earned the preseason recognition announced on Friday, Nov. 4.
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.
Kurowski
has made her mark in all four categories during her time at UMBC. A 2011
America East All-Conference First Team selection, she ranked second in the
America East in scoring (14.6 ppg) last season, leading the Retrievers to the
America East regular-season title and a berth in the WNIT. Kurowski is the America East’s active career scoring leader with 1,263,
which ranks seventh all-time at UMBC, and she was the third-fastest Retriever
ever to score 1,000 career points. She owns a career 13.7 ppg scoring average,
the third-best in school history, and she has ranked among the America East’s
top 10 scoring leaders in each of her first three seasons.
Off the
court, Kurowski graduated Magna Cum Laude from UMBC in May after just three
years. She maintained a 3.82 grade-point average while earning a bachelor’s
degree in psychology with a minor in social welfare. She is currently pursuing
a teaching certificate and a master’s degree in early childhood education at
UMBC. The 2011 America East Women’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year,
Kurowski was selected to the 2011 Capitol One Academic All-District First Team,
the Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association Scholar-Athlete Team and the
America East Women’s Basketball All-Academic Team, and she was also named the
female recipient of UMBC’s Matt Skalsky Outstanding Scholar-Athlete Award in
2011.
Kurowski is the vice
president of UMBC’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), and she won
UMBC’s 2010-11 SAAC Award for academic achievement, community service and
athletic involvement. Kurowski participates in UMBC’s Make a Difference
mentoring program, which pairs student-athletes with elementary school students
on a one-on-one basis to promote academic and personal growth. She has also
volunteered with Autism Speaks and for the Department of Social Services foster
care unit.
Beliveau has proven to an exceptional all-around
player for the Wildcats throughout her career. Beliveau was named to the
America East All-Conference Second Team last season after she led the
team in both scoring (12.9 ppg) and rebounding (8.9 rpg). She finished
the year ranking in the top 10 in rebounding (2nd), free throw
percentage (5th), 3-pointers made (7th), scoring (8th) and 3-point
percentage (10th) in the America East. Beliveau posted a conference-best
11 double-doubles last winter and enters the upcoming season 58 points
shy of 1,000 in her career. She was also named to the America East
All-Rookie Team and was named the America East Rookie of the Year as a
freshman.
Lowe’s, an official Corporate Partner of the
NCAA, will announce the women’s Senior CLASS Award® winner during the NCAA Women’s Final Four®, which will be held April 1 and 3 in Denver.
The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will be placed
on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting
system to media, Division I women’s coaches and fans who will select
one finalist who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community,
classroom, character and competition.
For more information on all the candidates, visit seniorCLASSaward.com.
Women’s
Basketball Candidates:
LaSondra Barrett, Forward, LSU
Denise Beliveau, Forward, New Hampshire
Brogan Berry, Guard, Harvard
Cierra Bravard, Forward, Florida State
Kaitlyn Burke, Guard, Nebraska
Brittany Carter, Guard, Memphis
Jalana Childs, Forward, Kansas State
Lauren Edwards, Guard, Princeton
Adaora Elonu, Forward, Texas A&M
Briana Gilbreath, Guard, Southern California
Keisha Hampton, Forward, DePaul
Jericka Jenkins, Guard, Hampton
Amanda Johnson, Forward, Oregon
Emilie Johnson, Guard, UC Santa Barbara
Glory Johnson, Forward, Tennessee
Shenise Johnson, Guard, Miami (Florida)
Michelle Kurowski, Guard, UMBC
Kristen McCarthy, Guard, Temple
Natalie Novosel, Guard, Notre Dame
Nnemkadi Ogwumike, Forward, Stanford
Chelsea Pickering, Guard, Idaho State
Abby Plucker, Forward, North Dakota State
Justine Raterman, Forward, Dayton
Brittany Rayburn, Purdue
Monique Reid, Forward, Louisville
Ericka Russell, Guard, Alabama
Naama Shafir, Guard, Toledo
Da’Shena Stevens, Forward, St. John’s (N.Y.)
Whiquitta Tobar, Guard, Alabama A&M
Corielle Yarde, Guard, Marist