OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – BYU’s Yoeli Childs, TJ Haws and Jake Toolson are among the 60 NCAA men’s and women’s basketball student-athletes who excel both on and off the court and were selected as candidates today for the 2019-20 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. 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.
Among the 60 candidates, all are in excellent academic standing with 23 having grade-point averages of 3.5 or higher. Twelve athletes are returning to the court this season after receiving All-America honors, and 46 of the candidates earned all-conference honors for their performances 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.
Childs, Haws and Toolson are enjoying strong senior seasons on the court, having led the Cougars to a 16-7 overall record and a 5-3 mark in West Coast Conference play. The seniors are BYU’s three leading scorers while Childs leads the Cougars in rebounding and Haws and Toolson are one and two in assists. All three have been involved in a variety of community service endeavors throughout their college careers. Childs and Haws are set to complete their undergraduate degrees in the spring while Toolson is working towards a Master’s in Public Administration.
The men’s and women’s candidates will be narrowed to two fields of 10 finalists in February, and those 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 exemplifies excellence in the four C’s of community, classroom, character and competition.
The Senior CLASS Award winners will be announced during the 2020 NCAA Men’s Final Four® and NCAA Women’s Final Four® this spring. For more information on each of the candidates, visit seniorCLASSaward.com.
| Udoka Azubuike | University of Kansas |
| Keith Braxton | Saint Francis University |
| Desure Buie | Hofstra University |
| Yoeli Childs | BYU |
| Jordan Cohen | Lehigh |
| Kameron Edwards | Pepperdine |
| James Foye | Dartmouth College |
| Harald Frey | Montana State University |
| Byron Frohnen | UTSA |
| Tommy Funk | Army West Point |
| TJ Haws | BYU |
| Markus Howard | Marquette University |
| Michael Jacobson | Iowa State University |
| Justin Kier | George Mason University |
| Nathan Knight | William & Mary |
| Maik Kotsar | University of South Carolina |
| Skylar Mays | LSU |
| Anfernee McLemore | Auburn University |
| Sam Merrill | Utah State |
| Emmanuel Nzekwesi | Oral Roberts University |
| Myles Powell | Seton Hall University |
| Trevon Scott | University of Cincinnati |
| Nate Sestina | University of Kentucky |
| Ethan Stair | Mercer |
| Lamar Stevens | Penn State |
| Jake Toolson | BYU |
| Breein Tyree | Ole Miss |
| DJ Vasiljevic | Miami |
| Charles Williams | Howard University |
| Cassius Winston | Michigan State University |
| Laura Bagwell-Katalinich | Cornell University |
| Chelsea Brackmann | Bradley |
| Camryn Buhr | Lehigh University |
| Kelly Campbell | DePaul |
| Kaila Charles | University of Maryland |
| Rachael Childress | UAB |
| Lauren Cox | Baylor |
| Crystal Dangerfield | UConn |
| Ciara Duffy | University of South Dakota |
| Nneka Ezeigbo | Robert Morris University |
| Alana Gilmer | Marist College |
| Bailey Greenberg | Drexel University |
| Rebekah Hand | Marist College |
| Ellie Harmeyer | Belmont |
| Ruthy Hebard | Oregon |
| Hannah Hedstrom | Lehigh University |
| Taylor Herd | Quinnipiac University |
| Sabrina Ionescu | Oregon |
| Stella Johnson | Rider University |
| Stephanie Karcz | Loyola University Maryland |
| Ayana Mitchell | LSU |
| Beatrice Mompremier | University of Miami |
| Erica Ogwumike | Rice |
| Mikayla Pivec | Oregon State |
| Shadeen Samuels | Seton Hall University |
| Jayla Scaife | Dayton |
| Chante Stonewall | DePaul |
| Sug Sutton | University of Texas |
| Peyton Williams | Kansas State |
| Brenna Wise | Indiana University |
CONTACT
Erik Miner
Phone: (913) 563-5412
eminer@seniorCLASSaward.com
ABOUT THE AWARD
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award honors the attributes of senior student-athletes in four areas: community, classroom, character and competition. The award program is designed exclusively for college seniors who are utilizing their complete athletic eligibility, remaining committed to their university and pursuing the many rewards a senior season can bring. Premier Sports Management manages the award.
*NCAA and Final Four are trademarks owned or licensed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association.