Mike Leveille Wins 2008 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award for Men's Lacrosse
5/23/2008 5:43:36 PM | Men's Lacrosse
FOXBORO, Mass. - Syracuse attackman and team captain Mike Leveille (Delmar, N.Y.) was selected as the winner of the 2008 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award in the men’s lacrosse division on Saturday, May 24. The award, chosen by a nationwide vote of coaches, media and fans, is presented annually to college lacrosse’s outstanding NCAA Division I senior student-athlete.
Leveille accepted the award during a trophy presentation at halftime of Saturday’s NCAA semifinal between Duke and Johns Hopkins at Gillette Stadium. Leveille is the second winner in the men’s lacrosse division, joining Cornell’s’ Matt McMonagle who won the inaugural award in 2007.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award has grown into the nation’s premier tribute to college seniors. The award identifies personal qualities that define a complete student-athlete, with criteria including excellence in the classroom, character and community, as well as the candidate’s performance on the field.
“I would like to thank Lowe’s and its partners for presenting me with this award,” Leveille said. “With all of the worthy finalists, it is truly an honor to be named the winner. I’m very appreciative to everyone that voted for me and I take great pride in receiving this award. I try to approach school and my work in the community with the same intensity that I do lacrosse because it means a lot to me to be considered a well-rounded person and not just as an athlete.”
As one of five finalists for the 2008 Tewaaraton Trophy, Leveille has put together an outstanding season on the field, scoring 48 goals and dishing out 32 assists to lead the team with a total of 80 points. He has recorded at least one point in 56 straight games, currently the second-longest current streak in NCAA Division I lacrosse and the fourth-longest streak in school history. He has scored multiple points in every game during the 2008 season, including eight games with at least six points.
The winner of Syracuse’s prestigious Soladay Award recognizing athletic and academic achievements, community service and leadership, Leveille owns with a 3.8 GPA in accounting and is very involved in a variety of community service activities. He received his bachelor’s degree on May 11 and was named to the SU Athletic Director’s Honor Roll during each of his semesters on campus.
“The Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award is a prestigious award within collegiate athletics because it focuses on the total student-athlete,” said Bob Gfeller, senior vice president of marketing and advertising at Lowe’s. “Nationwide, talented athletes compete every day, but Lowe's believes those individuals who are equally dedicated in the classroom and in their communities make the real difference with their abilities. Lowe’s salutes Mike, a true student-athlete, for using his platform in athletics to make an impact on those around him and congratulates him for being the 2008 award winner in lacrosse.”
In addition to selecting the winner of the Senior CLASS Award, Lowe’s also put together a Senior All-America Team based on voting results of the finalists. Craig Massie (Army), Brad Ross (Duke), Ben Rubeor (Virginia) and Paul Rabil (Johns Hopkins) joined Leveille on the five-member first team.
The second team was made up of Pat Grimm (Yale), Michael Corbolotti (Cornell), Fletcher Gregory (North Carolina), Danny Nathan (Cornell) and Tommy Scherr (Delaware).
Sportscaster Dick Enberg, Honorary Chairman of the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, first conceived the idea of an award for seniors in 2001 in response to the growing trend of men’s basketball players leaving school early for the NBA. The award was inspired by the story of former Duke star Shane Battier, who could have been an NBA lottery pick but returned to college for his senior season, led the Blue Devils to the NCAA national championship in 2001 and earned his degree.
Leveille and his teammates will play the winner of top-seeded Duke and Johns Hopkins in the national title game on Monday, May 26 at 1:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN.
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