Abbott A Nominee For Lowe's Award

Award Candidates

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Syracuse senior midfielder Matt Abbott is one of 30 nominees for the 2009 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award in the sport of men's lacrosse. The award, presented annually to the most outstanding NCAA Division I student-athletes in nine different sports, focuses on the "Four C's" of classroom, character, community and competition.

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 49 career games with 16 starts. He currently has one goal and lists second on the team with 10 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.

A national media panel will select the 10 finalists for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award midway through the regular season. Those 10 names will be placed on a ballot for nationwide voting by coaches, media and fans. The winner will be announced and recognized at the 2009 NCAA Lacrosse Championships in Foxboro, Mass.

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.

Syracuse University Athletics

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