Beliveau, Kurowski Named Senior CLASS Award Finalists

Beliveau, Kurowski Named Senior CLASS Award Finalists

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OVERLAND PARK, Kan. -- University of New Hampshire senior Denise Beliveau and UMBC senior Michelle Kurowski were selected as top-10 finalists for the 2012 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award for women's basketball, announced Wednesday. America East and the Pac-12 are the only conferences with multiple finalists on the ballot.

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. The complete list of finalists follows this release.

Beliveau is averaging 14.2 ppg and 8.8 rpg, and ranks in the America East top three in both categories. As a fifth-year senior, Beliveau graduated in 2010 with a degree in Exercise Science, holding a 3.51 GPA and is currently working toward a graduate degree in Leadership and Children’s Health and Disabilities. Beliveau is also an active member of SAAC who also tutors and volunteers in the local UNH and Durham communities.

Kurowski has scored over 1,500 points and is the America East's leading active career scorer. She is averaging 12.2 ppg this year, good for ninth in the conference, and is one of the top free-throw shooters in the country at 91.5 percent. The 2011 America East Women's Basketball Scholar-Athlete, Kurowski graduated Magna Cum Laude (3.82) from UMBC in three years last year and is currently pursuing a teaching certificate and a master’s degree in early childhood education.

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. 
 
The finalists were chosen by a media committee from the list of 60 candidates announced in November. Nationwide fan voting begins immediately to determine the winner. Fans are encouraged to vote on either the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award websiteor the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award Facebook fan pagethrough March 18. Fan votes will be combined with media and Division I men’s and women’s basketball head coaches’ votes to determine the winner.
 
Lowe’s, an official Corporate Partner of the NCAA, will announce the men’s Senior CLASS Award
® winner during the 2012 NCAA Men’s Final Four®, which will be held March 31 and April 2 in New Orleans. The women’s award winner will be announced during the NCAA Women’s Final Four®, which will be held April 1 and 3 in Denver.
 
For more information on all the finalists, visit seniorCLASSaward.com.

Women's Basketball Finalists

Denise Beliveau, Forward, New Hampshire

Brittany Carter, Guard, Memphis

Lauren Edwards, Guard, Princeton

Amanda Johnson, Forward, Oregon

Emilie Johnson, Guard, UC Santa Barbara

Michelle Kurowski, Guard, Maryland-Baltimore County

Natalie Novosel, Guard, Notre Dame

Nnemkadi Ogwumike, Forward, Stanford

Justine Raterman, Forward, Dayton

Brittany Rayburn, Purdue