KANSAS CITY - Maryland point guard Kristi Toliver has been named one of 10 finalists for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, the premier honor for senior student-athletes. The announcement launches a nationwide balloting process to determine the 2009 award winner. Lowe's, an official Corporate Partner of the NCAA, will announce and present the award during the NCAA Women's Final Four in St. Louis.
This marks the eighth consecutive year that the award has recognized outstanding senior basketball student-athletes. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages those leaders to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact on their circle of influence.
Toliver, a Harrisonburg, Va., native, claimed the 2008 Nancy Lieberman Award as the nation's top point guard along with being named an Associated Press (AP), United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) and Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) All-American as a junior last season. She is Maryland's all-time leader in assists and 3-point field goals, none of which was bigger than her game-tying trey versus Duke in the waning moments of the 2006 national championship game - which sent the contest into overtime where the Terrapins would go on to win their first NCAA title in school history.
A three-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection, including a first team nod last season, Toliver has emerged as one of the best point guards in ACC history. She currently ranks fourth in league annals in assists, third in free-throw percentage, fifth in 3-point field goals made and sixth in 3-point field goal percentage.
The 2008-09 women's finalists are: Jada Frazier (University of New Orleans), Rachel Galligan (Eastern Illinois University), Shalee Lehning (Kansas State University), Renee Montgomery (University of Connecticut), Courtney Paris (University of Oklahoma), Koren Schram (Dartmouth University), Takia Starks (Texas A&M University), Kristi Toliver (University of Maryland), Abby Waner (Duke University) and Christina Wirth (Vanderbilt University).
These 10 names will be placed on the official ballot for a nationwide vote which concludes March 22. Votes from coaches and media will be coupled with fan balloting to determine the recipient of the award. Fans can vote online during this time period at www.seniorclassaward.com. For the first time in the basketball division, text voting will also be available during the voting period. To vote via text, fans can send the text code corresponding with the student-athlete of their choice (Toliver's text code is WB8) to 839863.
To vote for Kristi Toliver via text: "WB8" to 839863
