Oct. 17, 2008
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Senior All-America forwards and Hermann Trophy candidates Kerri Hanks (Allen, Texas/Allen) and Brittany Bock (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley) has been chosen as two of the 10 finalists for the 2008 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, it was announced late Thursday. The Senior CLASS Award is presented annually to the nation’s top senior player based on their dedication and achievement in four areas: Classroom, Character, Community and Competition. Notre Dame is the only school with multiple finalists for this year’s award, which is in its second year of existence.
Those 10 finalists were selected from a list of 30 candidates in each division, based on personal qualities that define a complete student-athlete. They have been placed on the official ballot for a nationwide vote which opened Thursday and continues through Nov. 19. Votes from coaches and media will be coupled with fan balloting to determine the recipient of the award. Fans can vote on-line daily during this time period through the Senior CLASS Award web site (www.seniorclassaward.com). Winners will be announced Dec. 5-7 during the NCAA College Cup in Cary, N.C.
Both Hanks and Bock have exemplified the term “student-athlete” throughout their careers. After enrolling at Notre Dame in the spring of 2005 (due to playing in the FIFA U-19 World Championships the previous fall), Hanks worked hard to graduate one semester early (with her Class of ’08 teammates), earning her bachelor’s degree in sociology this past May. She’s currently enrolled in graduate classes at Notre Dame, while she completes her final season with the Irish. On the field, she is one of the nation’s premier attacking threats, leading the BIG EAST Conference and ranking among the top 10 in the nation in goals (fourth – 14) and points (ninth – 32), while collecting multiple national weekly honors from Soccer America and Top Drawer Soccer, and twice earning BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week honors. The three-time All-America selection (and 2006 Hermann Trophy recipient) also ranks 10th in NCAA Division I history with 218 career points (78G-62A), is tied for 20th in Division I for career goals (78), and is one of just four D-I players ever to amass 70 goals and 60 assists in their careers.
Bock earned ESPN The Magazine Third-Team Academic All-America status last year (and is a candidate for the honor again this year) while compiling a 3.365 cumulative GPA as a marketing major in Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business. She also garnered dean’s list honors in the spring 2008 term (3.70 GPA) and had a sharp 3.834 GPA this past summer. Bock also is a team co-captain and is a member of Notre Dame’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. All of these add to a storied athletic resume that includes 44 career goals (13th in program history) and 111 career points (44G-23A). She was the BIG EAST Co-Offensive Player of the Year and a first-team All-American last year, becoming the 51st athlete in school history to couple Academic All-America and athletic All-America honors in the same year.
Notre Dame will open the back half of its four-game BIG EAST road swing Friday when it travels to Providence for a 3 p.m. (ET) contest at Glay Field. The Irish then will head to Connecticut Sunday for a 1 p.m. (ET) game that will be televised live to a national cable audience by CBS College Sports.
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