Dec. 6, 2008
CARY, N.C. – Senior All-America forward and Hermann Trophy semifinalist Kerri Hanks (Allen, Texas/Allen) has been named the 2008 recipient of the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, it was announced Friday evening. 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.
Hanks was chosen from among a group of 10 finalists (including senior teammate Brittany Bock (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley)), based on personal qualities that define a complete student-athlete. Votes from coaches and media were coupled with fan balloting to determine the recipient of the award. Hanks received her award at halftime of the second semifinal on Friday at the NCAA College Cup in Cary, N.C.
Notre Dame was the only school with multiple finalists for this year’s award, which is in its second year of existence. Hanks and Bock both were named to the Senior CLASS Award All-America Team as part of Friday’s announcement.
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, Hanks is one of the nation’s premier attacking threats, leading the BIG EAST Conference in goals (19) and points (fourth nationally – 53) entering Sunday’s NCAA final, while collecting national weekly honors from Soccer America (three times) and Top Drawer Soccer (four times), as well as earning four BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week honors. The four-time All-America selection, two-time BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year and 2006 Hermann Trophy recipient also is eighth in NCAA Division I history with 239 career points (83G-73A), is tied for 13th in Division I for career goals (a school-record 83), and is the first D-I player ever to amass 73 goals and 73 assists in a career.
Bock is a two-time ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American (including a first-team honoree 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 46 career goals (12th in program history) and 121 career points (46G-29A). She was the BIG EAST Co-Offensive Player of the Year and is a two-time All-American (first team in ’07, second team in ’08), becoming the 51st athlete in school history to couple Academic All-America and athletic All-America honors in the same year.
Top-ranked Notre Dame (26-0-0) will square off with No. 4/5 North Carolina (24-1-2) in the NCAA Women’s College Cup title game on Sunday at 2 p.m. (ET) at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. The game will be televised live nationally on ESPN2 and ESPN360.com.
— ND —