Feb. 10, 2010

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Alabama senior All-American Charlotte Morgan has been named one of 30 NCAA® softball student-athletes who excel both on and off the field and were tabbed as candidates Wednesday for the 2010 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 – classroom, character, community and competition. The complete list of candidates follows this release.

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.

This year’s candidate class includes 10 student-athletes on teams ranked in the USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) preseason top-25 poll and 10 players who finished the 2009 season as Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-Americans. Five candidates were on the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America team in 2009. Nineteen of the candidates carry a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or better.

Morgan enters her senior season as one of the most decorated players in Alabama history. She was named the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year in 2009, becoming the first member of the Crimson Tide to do so. She was named an ESPN the Magazine CoSIDA Academic All-American last season and holds a 3.80 GPA as a criminal justice major.

Lowe’s, an official Corporate Partner of the NCAA, will announce the Senior CLASS Award winner at the NCAA Women’s College World Series® in June. 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, coaches and fans, who will select one finalist who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of classroom, character, community and competition.

“These young women are committed to their studies and to their teams’ success on the diamond,” said Tom Lamb, Lowe’s senior vice president of marketing. “They also have consistently contributed to important service projects in their communities, making their collegiate experiences that much richer.”

This marks the fourth year for the softball division of the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award. University of Florida pitcher Stacey Nelson received the award for the 2009 season and Virginia Tech pitcher Angela Tincher took home the 2008 honor. In 2007, University of Arizona outfielder Caitlin Lowe won the inaugural softball award. Alabama has now had a candidate in three straight seasons as Ashley Holcombe and Brittany Rogers garnered the recognition last season and Jordan Praytor was a finalist in 2008. Rogers was also a finalist in her senior campaign.

ABOUT THE AWARD

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School™, the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award honors the attributes of senior student-athletes in four areas: classroom, community, 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 that a senior season can bring. Sportscaster Dick Enberg, Honorary Chairman of the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, first conceived the idea of an award for seniors in 2001 in response to the growing trend of men’s basketball players leaving school early for the NBA. The award program has expanded the past two years to include a total of nine NCAA® Division I sports – football, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s ice hockey, men’s lacrosse, baseball and softball in addition to men’s and women’s basketball. The award is sponsored by Lowe’s, an official Corporate Partner of the NCAA®, and managed by Premier Sports Management. For more information, visit www.seniorCLASSaward.com.