Football: Neild Candidate for Senior CLASS Award
August 26, 2010 12:34 PM | General
August 26,2010
OVERLAND PARK, KS – Senior defensive lineman Chris Neild is among 30 NCAA football bowl subdivision student-athletes to be named a candidate for the 2010 Lowe’s Senior CLASS award.
 |
||
| Chris Neild |
The award focuses on four main areas of excellence including community, classroom, character and competition. In order to be eligible, the student-athlete must be an NCAA Division I senior and display notable achievements in these four areas.
The Lowe’s Senior CLASS award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their athletic status as a way to make positive impacts as leaders in the community. This year’s candidate class includes 10 American Football Coaches Association Allstate Good Works Team nominees. Nine of the 30 overall candidates have maintained a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or better, and five of the candidates were recognized by CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) as 2009 Academic All-Americans.
“The young men in our football candidate class are excellent examples of student-athletes who spend quality time helping improve their communities,” said Tom Lamb, Lowe’s senior vice president of marketing. “We are pleased to recognize them and excited to see what they accomplish during their senior seasons.”
The field will be narrowed down to 10 finalists halfway through the regular season, with the names of the finalists being placed on an official ballot. Media, coaches and fans will select one finalist who best exemplifies the four areas of excellence by using a nationwide voting system. Lowe’s will announce the Senior CLASS award winner at the conclusion of the regular season.
Named first team all-BIG EAST by ESPN.com, The Sporting News and rivals.com, Neild started all 13 games last year and saw action on more than 645 plays, including a season-high 81 against UConn. He finished the season with 35 total tackles, including 13 solo stops, two tackles for loss, a pass breakup and an interception. He was also placed on the Dean’s List and the Athletic Director’s Academic Honor Roll while also being awarded the John Russell Award for leadership by the WVU coaching staff.
The Mountaineers will open their season on Saturday, Sept. 4, when they play host to Coastal Carolina at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium at 3:30 p.m.
