UConn guard Kia Nurse and forward Gabby Williams were named candidates for the 2017-18 Senior CLASS Award, as announced on Thursday. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.
Among the 60 candidates across men's and women's basketball, all are in excellent academic standing with 14 having grade-point averages of 3.5 or higher. Eight of this year’s candidates were 2016-17 CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-Americans
®, and seven returned to the court this season after receiving All-America honors for their performances a year ago. Each of the candidates also volunteers his or her time with charitable organizations and causes while upholding a reputation for positive character on campus and in the community.
Each of the 30 candidate classes will be narrowed to fields of 10 finalists in February, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one male candidate and one female candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.
The Senior CLASS Award winners will be announced during the 2018 NCAA Men’s Final Four
® and NCAA Women’s Final Four
® this spring. For more information on each of the candidates, visit
seniorCLASSaward.com.