Dec. 4, 2007

Lowe's Senior CLASS AWARD - 2007-08 Women's Candidates

KANSAS CITY, MO - La Salle University's Carlene Hightower has been named an official candidate for the 2007-08 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, it was announced today. She has been recognized as one of the top 30 senior female college basketball players who exemplify a total student-athlete.

The award - presented annually to the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete of the Year in eight sports - focuses on the "Four C's" of classroom, character, community and competition. Lowe's, an official corporate partner of the NCAA will award the winners with trophies during the respective men's and women's NCAA Final Four weekends.

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the award was launched during the 2001-02 season to honor the attributes of college basketball seniors who remain committed to their university and pursue the many rewards that a senior season and complete college education brings.

Now in its seventh year for basketball, the award has developed into the nation's premier tribute for college seniors. Since originating with basketball, Lowe's has expanded the award to include a total of eight NCAA sports.

The list of basketball candidates includes a broad spectrum of universities and conferences across the country. On the women's side, 29 schools are represented, while 16 conferences are included among the list of nominees. The Atlantic 10 is represented by just two players, Hightower and George Washington's Sarah Jo Lawrence.

From the list of 30, a national media committee will select 10 finalists for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award in January 2008. Those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot for a nationwide vote during the NCAA Tournament in March. Fan balloting will be coupled with votes from coaches and media to determine the male and female recipients.

The award was conceived by sportscaster Dick Enberg, who continues to serve as Honorary Chairman. It was inspired by the remarkable story of former Duke basketball player Shane Battier, who could have been an NBA lottery pick but returned to college for his senior season and led the Blue Devils to the National Championship in 2001.

Previous winners of the men's award include Juan Dixon of Maryland (2002), David West of Xavier (2003), Jameer Nelson of St. Joseph's (2004), Wayne Simien of Kansas (2005), J.J. Reddick of Duke (2006) and Alando Tucker of Wisconsin (2007).

Recipients of the women's award include Sue Bird of Connecticut (2002), LaToya Thomas of Mississippi State (2003), Alana Beard of Duke (2004), Kendra Wecker of Kansas State (2005), Seimone Augustus of LSU (2006) and Alison Bales of Duke (2007).