Matt Abbott is one of 10 finalists for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award.
Abbott A Finalist For Senior CLASS Award
3/27/2009 8:55:35 AM | Men's Lacrosse
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Syracuse University's Matt Abbott is one of 10 finalists for the 2009 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award for men's lacrosse. Finalists were selected from a list of 30 candidates based on personal qualities that define a complete student- athlete. While on-the-field performance thus far during the college lacrosse season was a factor in determining the finalists, the criteria also includes a high emphasis on classroom, character and community service.
In addition to Abbott, the other finalists are: Jordan Burke (Brown), Michael Colleluori (Hofstra), Brandon Corp (Colgate), Joel Delgarno (Ohio State), Danny Glading (Virginia), Ryan Hoff (Notre Dame), Max Seibald (Cornell), Andy Tormey (Navy) and Grant Zimmerman (North Carolina).
“These ten student-athletes are to be commended for their all-around outstanding achievements as a collegian,” said Bob Gfeller, Lowe's senior vice president of marketing. “Lowe's is proud of its affiliation with the NCAA and college athletics, and we are pleased to help honor these individuals who have displayed a commitment to character, community and the classroom in addition to their competition on the lacrosse field.”
Nationwide voting begins immediately and concludes on May 7. Fan balloting will be combined with votes from coaches, media and sponsors to determine this year's winner, who will receive the award during the NCAA Championships in Foxboro, Mass.
A 2009 team captain, Abbott has been named to the SU Athletic Director's Honor Roll in six of his first seven semesters on campus and will graduate with a degree in finance in May.
On the field, Abbott has played in 53 career games with 20 starts. He has 11 points, including six goals, and leads the Orange with 26 ground balls this season. He is a member of the 2009 Tewaaraton Trophy Watch List and he has been invited to the 2010 U.S. National Team tryouts.
CLASS is an acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School and the program was launched during the 2001-02 season in response to the trend of college basketball players leaving early to turn professional. The award was conceived by sportscaster Dick Enberg and was inspired by the story of former Duke star Shane Battier, who could have been an NBA lottery pick but elected to return to college where he led the Blue Devils to the national championship and earned his degree.
Former Orange standout Mike Leveille won the award last year, the second time it was presented in the sport of men's lacrosse. Cornell goalie Matt McMonagle was the inaugural winner in 2007.
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