Feb. 11, 2009
Notre Dame, Ind. – Notre Dame senior hockey players Erik Condra (Livonia, Mich.) and Jordan Pearce (Anchorage, Alaska) are among the 10 Division I college hockey players selected as finalists for the 2008-09 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award. This will start a nationwide balloting process to determine the 2009 recipient of the honor that recognizes the complete student-athlete.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award encourages student-athletes to use their platform in college athletics to make a positive impact on their circle of influence.
Joining Condra and Pearce on the list of hockey finalists are: Andrew Carroll (University of Minnesota Duluth), Matt Cook (Union College), Chris Hahn (University of Maine), Trevor Hyatt (Alaska), Mathias Lange (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute), Jeff Lerg (Michigan State University), Mike Phillipich (United States Air Force Academy) and Dean Strong (University of Vermont).
These 10 senior student-athletes will be placed on the official ballot for a nationwide vote beginning today and concluding March 26. Votes from coaches and media will be coupled with fan balloting to determine the recipient of the award. Hockey fans around the country can vote online during this time at www.seniorclassaward.com. Text voting also will be available during the voting period. To vote via text, fans must send the text code (see below for a complete list) corresponding with the student-athlete of their choice to 839863.
The overall winner of the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award for hockey will be announced and presented with the distinctive trophy during the 2009 NCAA Men’s Frozen Four® in Washington, D.C.
“The 2009 class of finalists have dedicated time to their classrooms and communities while pursuing their athletic dreams,” said Bob Gfeller, Lowe’s senior vice president of marketing and advertising.
“That is what builds great collegiate leaders. Lowe’s applauds these 10 student-athletes for having an impact not only within their sport, but within their campus and community as well.”
The 10 players selected have combined excellence in athletics, academics and community service. The award is presented annually to an NCAA Division I student-athlete in nine sports based on achievement’s in the “Four C’s” of classroom, character, community and competition. CLASS is an acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School.
Condra and Pearce have been key players in Notre Dame’s 21-5-3 overall start and have guided the Irish to first place in the CCHA with a 15-4-3-3 record with six league games left to play. The duo was part of a team that was ranked No. 1 in the nation for seven straight weeks (Dec. 1 – Jan. 26) and put together a 20-game unbeaten streak (17-0-3) from Oct. 31 to Jan. 30.
Notre Dame’s team captain, Condra, a right wing, is tied third on the team in scoring with 24 points on six goals and 18 assists for 24 points in 2008-09. He has four power-play goals, two short-handed tallies and a game-winning goal this season.
Off the ice, Condra is a pre-med/psychology major with a 3.56 grade-point average. As a junior, he was selected as an ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA second-team District V all-academic choice.
Pearce, an All-American and Hobey Baker candidate, is having a stellar season for the Irish in goal. He owns a 20-5-3 overall record with a 1.70 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage with four shutouts. During the 20-game unbeaten streak, Pearce played in every game, going 17-0-3 with a 1.36 goals-against average and a .944 save percentage with three shutouts.
In the classroom, Pearce, like Condra is a pre-med major with a second major in anthropology. He owns a 3.816 grade-point average and has been a Dean’s List student in four of his first six semesters at Notre Dame. As a junior, he was selected as the team’s Rockne Student-Athlete Award winner and was a Second Team ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-American. Pearce also represented the Irish on the CCHA’s Scholar-Athlete team.
Both players are heavily involved in Notre Dame hockey’s community service efforts and have been throughout their careers.
This is the third year that Lowe’s has sponsored an award for hockey. In 2006-07, former Irish goaltender David Brown `07 won the award while in 2007-08, forward Mark Van Guilder `08 was one of the 10 finalists for the honor.
The Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award was launched in 2001 to honor the attributes of college basketball seniors who fulfill their entire athletic eligibility and pursue the many rewards of a senior season and complete college education.
Lowe’s, an official Corporate Partner of the NCAA, expanded the Senior CLASS Award program in 2007 to include NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey in addition to men’s lacrosse, baseball, softball and men’s and women’s soccer. Football (Bowl Subdivision) has been added in 2008, bringing the award program’s total of NCAA sports to nine.
“The Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award puts a positive spotlight on our NCAA student-athletes who are on a track to earn a college degree,” commented Greg Shaheen, NCAA Senior VP for Basketball and Business Strategies.
“The NCAA is proud to honor student-athlete leaders who have demonstrated their commitment to excel in competition and in the classroom.”
Fans can vote via text: “Text Code” to 839863
Lowe's Senior CLASS Award
2009 Men's Hockey Finalists
Name School Pos. Text Code Andrew Carroll Minnesota- Duluth F HOC1 Erik Condra Notre Dame F HOC2Matt Cook Union College (New York) F HOC3Chris Hahn University of Maine F HOC4Trevor Hyatt Alaska F HOC5Mathias Lange Rensselaer G HOC6Jeff Lerg Michigan State G HOC7 Jordan Pearce Notre Dame G HOC8 Mike Phillipich Air Force Academy F HOC9Dean Strong University of Vermont F HOC10