April 18, 2008

Alabama senior Jordan Praytor needs your help to win the 2008 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award in the softball division by voting at www.seniorclassaward.com

Praytor is one of 10 student-athletes selected as a finalist. Her named has been placed on the ballot for a nationwide vote that began on Thursday, April 10, and continues until May 16. Fan balloting, which is available on the award's official website www.seniorclassaward.com, will be combined with votes from coaches, media and sponsors to determine the winner.

The finalists were chosen from a list of 30 candidates based on personal qualities that define a complete student-athlete. The four primary criteria include: classroom, community, character and competition.

Praytor, a native of Vancouver, Wash., has a cumulative grade-point average of 3.75 with a double major in biology/Spanish in the UA Honors Program, including a perfect 4.0 GPA in Spanish courses. Praytor has been a Dean's List honoree seven times at UA and has made the President's List for academic excellence.

A 2007 NFCA Academic All-America Scholar-Athlete, Praytor is a three-time Academic All-SEC honoree (2005-06-07). She was an ESPN the Magazine Second-Team Academic All-District honoree in 2006, was a member of the 2005 SEC Freshman Academic Honor Roll, has twice earned mention on the SEC Academic Honor Roll (2006 and 2007) and was named to the 2006 SEC Good Works Team for her involvement in the community. As a freshman in 2005, Praytor was elected as UA's student-athlete representative to the NCAA Leadership Conference.

Praytor has volunteered in the pediatric ward at the DCH Regional Medical Center, has worked with the Gatorade Get 60 program at Holt Elementary School, and is a volunteer with Project Angel Tree. The Gatorade Get 60 program is designed to encourage kids to run, jump, skip, bike and dance their way to 60 minutes of physical activity each day. Project Angel Tree gathers donations of clothing, gifts and necessities for the children of incarcerated parents. She is currently working on a partnership with UAB's Birmingham Children's Hospital's cochlear ear implant clinic that will help the clinic implement fundraising methods.

The Lowe's Senior CLASS Award stands for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School. The award started in 2001 with college basketball and is now in its second year for softball.

Along with Praytor, the 2008 finalists are: Callista Balko (Arizona), Beth Boden (Tennessee Tech), Sara Dyer (Tulsa), Lauren Eckermann (Oklahoma), Rachel Folden (Marshall), Megan Rhodes (Tennessee), Anjelica Selden (UCLA), Angelia Tincher (Virginia Tech) and Sandy Vojik (DePaul).

The 2008 award winner will be announced and presented with the prestigious Lowe's Senior CLASS Award trophy at the opening ceremonies of the NCAA Women's College World Series on May 27 in Oklahoma City, Okla. The Lowe's All-Senior All-America Team, based on final results of the balloting, will also be recognized.