Oct. 12, 2011
Notre Dame, Ind. – Notre Dame senior captain Sean Lorenz (Littleton, Colo.) has been selected as a candidate for the 2011-12 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award in the men’s Division I hockey category.
Lorenz joins 19 other Division I players who have combined excellence in athletics, academics and community service. The award is presented annually to an NCAA Division I student-athlete in 10 sports based on achievement’s in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition. CLASS is an acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School and the award focuses and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
Selected as one of the team’s co-captains prior to the start of the season, Lorenz is the lone senior on the Notre Dame defense and enters his final year having played in 118 career games with six goals and 15 assists for 21 points. The rugged, stay-at-home defenseman is coming off his top season for the Irish. As a junior, Lorenz had career highs in goals (4), assists (11) and points (15) and had one short-handed goal and two game winners while being +33 for the year. He was named the CCHA’s top defensive defenseman of the year and was the winner of Notre Dame’s William Donald Nyrop Award as the team’s top defensive player.
Off the ice, Lorenz has a 3.412 grade-point average in finance in the Mendoza College of Business and had a Dean’s List semester in the spring of 2011 when he turned in a 3.80 grade point for the semester.
The Littleton, Colo., native has been involved in all aspects of the team’s community service efforts throughout his career. As a senior, he oversees the team’s efforts on campus and in the community and is the hockey liaison to Notre Dame’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). For four years, he has participated in the annual Buddy Walk for kids with Down’s syndrome and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation walk. For the past three years, Lorenz and his teammates have worked with the South Bend Robinson Center, working with inner-city kids, teaching them how to play hockey. This year, the team is in the process of adopting a three-year old with lymphoma and will set up a program with Life Work’s Dream Teams to visit area schools to talk to kids about setting goals and striving for their dreams. The team also spends time with the Irish Youth Hockey League (IYHL), assisting with clinics and working with the younger kids in teaching them the finer points of the game of hockey.
This is the sixth year that Lowe’s has sponsored an award for hockey. In 2006-07, former Irish goaltender David Brown `07 won the Senior CLASS Award while in 2007-08, Mark Van Guilder `08 and in 2008-09, Jordan Pearce `09 and Erik Condra `09 were among the top 10 finalists. Team captain Ryan Thang `10 was the nominee for 2009-10 and last year Calle Ridderwall `11 was a top 10 finalist.
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) was added in 2008 and volleyball in 2009, bringing the award program’s total of NCAA sports to 10.
The 2011-12 hockey candidates represent 20 different schools and five conferences. Six nominees represent the CCHA. Chad Billins of Ferris State, Sean Duddy of Ohio State, Scott Greenham of Alaska, Cody Reichard of Miami and Ian Slater of Western Michigan join Lorenz on the list.
From the list of 20 nominees, a list of 10 finalists for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award will be selected midway through the season. Those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot for a nationwide vote that will include coaches, media and fans. The award winner will be announced and recognized at the 2012 NCAA Frozen Four in Tampa, Fla.
For more information on all the candidates, visit seniorclassaward.com.
Lowe's Senior CLASS Award2011-12 Men's Hockey Nominees
Name School Pos. ConferenceChad Billins Ferris State D Central Collegiate Hockey AssociationJack Connolly Minnesota-Duluth F Western Collegiate Hockey AssociationTommy Cross Boston College D Hockey East AssociationMike Daly Holy Cross D Atlantic Hockey AssociationMatt DiGirolamo New Hampshire G Hockey East AssociationSean Duddy Ohio State D Central Collegiate Hockey AssociationBrad Eidsness North Dakota G Western Collegiate Hockey AssociationRyan Flanigan Merrimack F Hockey East AssociationScott Greenham Alaska G Central Collegiate Hockey AssociationChris Haltigan RIT D Atlantic Hockey AssociationDoug Jones Dartmouth F ECAC Hockey LeagueDrew LeBlanc St. Cloud State F Western Collegiate Hockey AssociationSean Lorenz Notre Dame D Central Collegiate Hockey AssociationJack Maclellan Brown F ECAC Hockey LeagueTaylor Mattson Minnesota F Western Collegiate Hockey AssociationWill O'Neill Maine D Hockey East AssociationCody Reichard Miami G Central Collegiate Hockey AssociationKeir Ross Cornell D ECAC Hockey LeagueIan Slater Western Michigan F Central Collegiate Hockey AssociationPaul Weisgarber Air Force F Atlantic Hockey Association