Sept. 20, 2012

MILWAUKEE - Marquette University senior middle hitter Danielle Carlson has been selected as a candidate for the 2012 Senior CLASS Award, honoring NCAA Division I women's volleyball. 

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. 

Carlson, a senior psychology and theology double major with a 3.7 grade point average, was the 2011-12 BIG EAST Conference Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award winner for women's volleyball. She also earned All-BIG EAST First Team honors after leading the conference and ranking 17th in the nation in hitting percentage (.385) in 2011.

The Marshfield, Wis., native is Marquette's all-time leader in career hitting percentage at .344 and earned AVCA All-America Honorable Mention in 2011. As a team captain, she helped MU reach the NCAA Championship for the first time in program history as a junior and led Marquette to back-to-back 20-win campaigns for the first time as a member of NCAA Division I.

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. 

The Senior CLASS Award winners will be announced during the 2012 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship, which will take place Dec. 13 and 15 in Louisville, Ky.

The candidate class of 30 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, coaches and fans, who will select one candidate who best exemplifies excellence in character, competition, the classroom and the community. 


For more information on all the candidates, visit 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. 

2012 Volleyball Candidates
Lesli Akeo, Siena
Andrea Beck, Wake Forest
Alaina Bergsma, Oregon
Megan Bober, Creighton
Amy Braun, Northern Iowa
Danielle Carlson, Marquette
Karissa Cook, Stanford
Dana Cranston, Colorado State
Kasey Elswick, Tennessee-Martin
Ashley Frazier, Kentucky
Katie Fuller, Southern California
Krysta Gardner, Bethune-Cookman
Christiana Gray, Duke
Andrea Hannasch, San Diego State
Altrese Hawkins, Memphis
Rachel Iaquaniello, Eastern Michigan
Rachael Kidder, UCLA
Faimie Kingsley, Denver
Rachel Krabacher, Dayton
Alison Landwehr, Iowa State
Gina Mancuso, Nebraska
Lindsey Miller, Texas A&M
Jodi Purdy, Wyoming
Taylor Root, Valparaiso
Robin Rostratter, California
Sam Serley, UAB
Jamie Straube, Iowa State
Ariel Turner, Purdue
Kate Van Dyke, Georgia Southern
Breanne Van Every, Idaho State