Nov. 3, 2010
LEXINGTON, Ky. — S
enior forward Victoria Dunlap has been selected as one of 30 national candidates for the prestigious Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award in women’s basketball, it was announced Wednesday. Dunlap was chosen for excelling on and off the court.
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.
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.
The candidate class will be narrowed to 10 men’s and 10 women’s finalists midway through the regular season, 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 finalist who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.
Lowe’s, an
official corporate partner of the NCAA
, will announce the women’s basketball Senior CLASS Award winner at the NCAA Women’s Final Four
®
in Indianapolis.
Dunlap, a native of Nashville, Tenn.,
is on track to graduate in May of 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in family studies and a minor in psychology. Throughout her Wildcat career, she has been an active member in the community and a leader on the hardwood. She has volunteered at several community service events in her four years, including
playing bingo at Kentucky Children’s Hospital, participating in the “Cats Cultivating Character” program, where student-athletes teach character lessons once a month to third grade students at a local elementary school, volunteering to pack food for God’s Pantry BackPack program, visiting patients at UK’s Markey Cancer Center, and guest speaking at various elementary schools and camps in the local area.
On the court, the 6-foot-1 forward is already revered as one of the most heralded players in UK Hoops history. The preseason Southeastern Conference Player of the Year and first-team All-SEC selection by the league’s coaches and media is coming off a banner junior season that saw her average an impressive 18.1 points, 8.4 rebounds and a SEC-high 3.1 steals per game. She is also a candidate for the State Farm Wade Trophy and John R. Wooden Award for the 2010-11 season awards that go to the nation’s top player.
Dunlap was one of three candidates for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award from the SEC, joining Tennessee’s
Angie Bjorklund and Vanderbilt’s Jence Rhoads.
2010-11 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award
–
Women’s Basketball Candidates
Name, Position, School
Kachine Alexander, Guard, Iowa
Erin Anthony, Forward, Army
Angie Bjorklund, Guard/Forward, Tennessee
Jessica Breland, Forward, North Carolina
Victoria Dunlap, Forward, Kentucky
Dawn Evans, Guard, James Madison
Amber Harris, Forward, Xavier
Ify Ibekwe, Forward, Arizona
Amy Jaeschke, Center, Northwestern
Alyssa Karel, Guard, Wisconsin
Michelle Kirk, Forward, American
Jantel Lavender, Center, Ohio State
Maya Moore, Forward, Connecticut
Kayla Pedersen, Forward, Stanford
Ta’Shia Phillips, Center, Xavier
Julie Piper, Forward, Eastern Washington
Jeanette Pohlen, Guard, Stanford
Lauren Prochaska, Forward, Bowling Green
Erica Prosser, Guard, Lehigh
Sam Quigley, Guard, DePaul
Liz Repella, Guard, West Virginia
Jence Rhoads, Guard, Vanderbilt
Danielle Robinson, Guard, Oklahoma
Jaleesa Ross, Guard, Fresno State
Sam Schuett, Forward, Creighton
Brittney Smith, Forward, Dartmouth
Helena Sverrisdottir, Guard/Forward, TCU
Kayla Tetschlag, Guard/Forward, Green Bay
Jasmine Thomas, Guard, Duke
Courtney Vandersloot, Guard, Gonzaga
UK Hoops 10th in preseason USA TODAY/ESPN Top 25 Coaches’ Poll:
The University of Kentucky women’s basketball team has been ranked 10th in the preseason
USA Today
/ESPN Top 25 Coaches Poll released today. UK ended the 2009-10 season tied for ninth, its highest position in the poll in school history. The Wildcats are one of four SEC teams ranked in the Top 25 along with Tennessee (No. 4), Georgia (No. 19) and Vanderbilt (No. 21).
Cats play host to Kentucky Wesleyan in exhibition game Sunday:
The
No. 9/10 Kentucky women’s basketball team opens year four of the Matthew Mitchell era on Sunday when it plays host to NCAA Division II foe Kentucky Wesleyan in the Cats’ lone exhibition contest of the season. The game will tip off at 2 p.m. ET in Memorial Coliseum and admission is free.
