OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (November 30, 2018) – Sixty NCAA^® men’s and women’s basketball student-athletes who excel both on and off the court were selected as candidates today for the 2018-19 Senior CLASS Award^® in collegiate basketball.   The MVC is represented by Drake senior Sammie Bachrodt, Loyola senior Clayton Custer and Bradley senior Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye.

Bachrodt has started all 108 games in her career and is on the verge of scoring 1,000 points. She is a two-time All-Missouri Valley Conference selection, the 2018 MVC Defensive Player of the Year and two-time MVC All-Defensive team pick. Bachrodt, who has scored 945 points, is No. 8 all-time at Drake in career steals with 208 in addition to making 156 career three-pointers, handed out 291 assists and pulled down 500 career rebounds.  Bachrodt, who earned MVC Scholar-Athlete honors last season, is a finance major with a 3.59 cumulative grade point average and on track to graduate in May, 2019. Bachrodt and her teammates have completed more than 1,000 volunteer hours in each of her first three seasons and are on track to accomplish the community service initiative once again in 2018-19. Habitat for Humanity, Meals from the Heartland and Plymouth Place are just a few of the organizations, Bachrodt has volunteered with during her time at Drake.

Custer, who was the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year and an Associated Press Honorable Mention All-America selection in 2017-18 as he helped Loyola to its first NCAA Final Four appearance in 55 years, is averaging 14.1 points and 3.0 assists per game this season. He has been a two-time MVC First Team Scholar-Athlete selection and last season was a CoSIDA Google Cloud Academic All-District V honoree, while also picking up the MVC State Farm Good Neighbor Award.

On the court, Lautier-Ogunleye has helped lead a Bradley basketball resurgence as the Braves have improved their win total from five games in 2015-16 to 20 last season. Named to the MVC All-Freshman Team in 2016 and the conference’s All-Defensive Team in 2018, Lautier-Ogunleye has appeared in 103 career games in the Bradley Red & White and currently ranks third among active Valley players with 249 assists and sixth with 828 points.   In eight games during his senior campaign, Lautier-Ogunleye is averaging a career-best 9.9 points to go with 4.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and a field goal percentage of 52.4.  Off the court, Lautier-Ogunleye maintains a 3.19 grade point average as a marketing major. The 2018 MVC Scholar-Athlete Second Team honoree is also active within the Peoria community, volunteering at organizations such as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, United Way Mad Dash, Whitney’s Walk, Peoria Marathon and Peoria YMCA.



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 13 having grade-point averages of 3.5 or higher. Twenty-five athletes are returning to the court this season after receiving All-America honors, and 54 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.
 
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 2019 NCAA Men’s Final Four^® and NCAA Women’s Final Four^® this spring. For more information on each of the candidates, visit seniorCLASSaward.com.
 
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MEN’S BASKETBALL CANDIDATES:

Zach Braxton Weber State Juwan Morgan Indiana Devontae Cacok UNC Wilmington Matt Morgan Cornell Isaac Copeland Nebraska Trey Moses Ball State Clayton Custer Loyola Chicago Zane Najdawi The Citadel Mike Daum South Dakota State  Michael Nzei Seton Hall Jon Elmore Marshall Josh Perkins Gonzaga Frankie Ferrari San Francisco Trey Phills Yale Jaire Grayer George Mason Paul Rowley William & Mary Ethan Happ Wisconsin Tyler Seibring Elon Aric Holman Mississippi State TJ Shorts II UC Davis Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye  Bradley Chris Silva South Carolina Kimbal Mackenzie Bucknell Lance Tejada Lehigh Terance Mann Florida State Reid Travis Kentucky Luke Maye North Carolina Dylan Windler Belmont Drew McDonald Northern Kentucky Justin Wright-Foreman  Hofstra

 
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL CANDIDATES:

Kristine Anigwe	Cal Berkeley	Megan Huff	Utah
Allison Arens	South Dakota	Paris Kea	North Carolina
Sammie Bachrodt	Drake	Jessica Kovatch	Saint Francis
Cassidy Barrios	Nicholls State	Deanna Kuzmanic	Alabama
Allazia Blockton	Marquette	Kitija Laksa	South Florida
Bianca Boggs	William & Mary	Kennedy Leonard	Colorado
Kalani Brown	Baylor	Teaira McCowan	Mississippi State
KeKe Calloway	Mercer	Macy Miller	South Dakota State
Bridget Carleton	Iowa State	Teniya Page	Penn State
Napheesa Collier	Connecticut	Katie Powell	UNLV
Sophie Cunningham	Missouri	Tori Schickel	Butler
Asia Durr	Louisville	Alanna Smith	Stanford
Mart'e Grays	DePaul	Hallie Thome	Michigan
Megan Gustafson	Iowa	Brianna Turner	Notre Dame
Presley Hudson	Central Michigan	Courtney Woods	Northern Illinois

 

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.