OVERLAND PARK, Kansas – BYU senior guard Kyle Collinsworth is one of 60 NCAA basketball student-athletes selected as a candidate today for the 2015-16 Senior CLASS Award in collegiate basketball. 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 candidates follows this release.
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.
Collinsworth has led BYU to a 13-6 record so far this season while averaging 14.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 2.1 steals. After setting the NCAA single-season triple-double record last season with six, Collinsworth has added three to his total this season to become the NCAA’s all-time career leader with nine. Collinsworth is on track to become BYU’s all-time leader in total rebounds and assists.
Among the 60 candidates (30 men and 30 women), all are in excellent academic standing with 10 having grade-point averages of 3.5 or higher. Five of this year’s candidates were 2014-15 CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-Americans, and 20 returned to the court this season after receiving All-America honors for their performance a year ago. Each of the candidates also volunteers his or her time with charitable organizations and causes while upholding a reputation for positive character on campus and in the community.
The Senior CLASS Award winners will be announced during the 2016 NCAA Men’s Final Four and NCAA Women’s Final Four.
Each of the 30 candidate classes will be narrowed to 10 finalists in February, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one male candidate and one female candidate who best exemplify excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.
For more information on each of the candidates, visit seniorCLASSaward.com.
| Ryan Arcidiacono | Villanova |
| Craig Bradshaw | Belmont |
| Malcolm Brogdon | Virginia |
| John Brown | High Point |
| Kyle Collinsworth | BYU |
| Rapheal Davis | Purdue |
| Perry Ellis | Kansas |
| Obi Emegano | Oral Roberts |
| Phil Forte | Oklahoma State |
| Chris Fowler | Central Michigan |
| Mike Gesell | Iowa |
| Shaq Goodwin | Memphis |
| Buddy Hield | Oklahoma |
| Peter Hooley | Albany |
| Amile Jefferson | Duke |
| Cedric Kuakumensah | Brown |
| Egidijus Mockevicius | Evansville |
| Nic Moore | SMU |
| Georges Niang | Iowa State |
| Ethan O'Day | Vermont |
| Marcus Paige | North Carolina |
| Alex Poythress | Kentucky |
| James Robinson | Pittsburgh |
| Justin Sears | Yale |
| Shavon Shields | Nebraska |
| Denzel Valentine | Michigan State |
| Fred VanVleet | Wichita State |
| Thoams Walkup | Stephen F. Austin |
| Jameel Warney | Stony Brook |
| Kyle Wiltjer | Gonzaga |
| Jillian Alleyne | Oregon |
| Ashley Beverly Kelley | Troy |
| Imani Boyette | Texas |
| Adut Bulgak | Florida State |
| Ruvanna Campbell | Illinois at Chicago |
| Cait Craft | Ohio State |
| Elisha Davis | Arizona State |
| Aundrea Gamble | Arkansas State |
| Ruth Hamblin | Oregon State |
| Nikki Hegstetter | Alabama |
| Bria Holmes | West Virginia |
| Malina Howard | Maryland |
| Marissa Janning | Creighton |
| Moriah Jefferson | Connecticut |
| Chanise Jenkins | DePaul |
| Jonquel Jones | George Washington |
| Jordan Jones | Texas A&M |
| Whitney Knight | Florida Gulf Coast |
| Zahna Medley | Texas Christian |
| Kelsey Minato | Army West Point |
| Tiffany Mitchell | South Carolina |
| Janelle Perez | Northwestern State |
| Shereesha Richards | Albany |
| Raquel Scott | Holy Cross |
| Breanna Stewart | Connecticut |
| Rachel Theriot | Nebraska |
| Elle Tinkle | Gonzaga |
| Kaylon Williams | Oklahoma |
| Elizabeth Wood | Maine |
| Michelle Woods | Maimi (FL) |