LAWRENCE, Kansas – West Virginia University women’s soccer seniors Kadeisha Buchanan and Ashley Lawrence were selected as candidates for the 2016 Senior CLASS Award. 

 

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. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.

 

WVU is one of two schools with two candidates on the list of 30; Florida also has two candidates. Buchanan and Lawrence are among the four Big 12 Conference players recognized, as Courtney Dike (Oklahoma State) and Koree Willer (Iowa State) also are listed.

 

Five Mountaineers have been named candidates for the award in the last four seasons: Frances Silva (2013), Kate Schwindel (2014), Amanda Hill (2015), and Buchanan and Lawrence. Schwindel and Hill were named to the Senior Class All-America Second Teams. This marks the first time in program history two Mountaineers have landed on the candidate list.

 

“Kadeisha and Ashley have given their all to this program over the last four seasons,” Mountaineer coach Nikki Izzo-Brown said. “I’m happy to see their names listed among the NCAA’s top 30 seniors.”

 

Team captains this year, the second straight leadership position for Buchanan, the duo has helped the Mountaineers capture five Big 12 Conference titles since 2013 and make three straight NCAA Championship appearances, including an NCAA Elite Eight trip in 2015. They were both named to the 2016 Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy Watch List; Buchanan was the program’s first finalist last year.  

 

Permanent fixtures in the Canadian Women’s National Team starting lineup, Buchanan and Lawrence won Bronze at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics in August.

 

A native of Brampton, Ontario, Buchanan is a three-time NSCAA All-American and a two-time first team honoree. She also is the three-time defending Big 12 Conference Defensive Player of the Year and was the 2015 Soccer News Net Women’s College Boot Winner. Under her leadership, the WVU backline has allowed just 56 opponent goals since 2013, including a program-low 11 in 2015, the same season the unit also posted a school-record 15 shutouts.

 

Through 12 matches this season, the Mountaineers have posted six shutouts and allowed just six opponent goals, the fourth-fewest allowed nationally.

 

A two-time Academic All-Big 12 honoree, Buchanan, a multidisciplinary studies major, also has been named the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll, the Dean’s List and the Garrett Ford Academic Honor Roll.

 

A Toronto native, Lawrence earned NSCAA All-America First Team honors in 2015 and has been named to the All-Region First Team each year since 2013. A three-time All-Big 12 honoree, she ranks No. 7 on WVU’s all-time career assists list with 22 helpers. The 22 assists rank No. 12 on the NCAA active career leaders list. Additionally, Lawrence’s 0.29 assists/game career average ranks No. 23 on the NCAA career leaders list.

 

Through 10 games played, she has tallied five points and ranks second on the team with three assists.

 

A sport and exercise psychology major, Lawrence is a two-time Academic All-Big 12 honoree and also has been named to the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll and the Garrett Ford Academic Honor Roll.

 

Buchanan and Lawrence are active in the Morgantown community and in their hometowns. At WVU, they help raise funds for breast cancer research through the program’s annual 4v4 Tournament and individual fundraising. They also have participated in activities with Stepping Stones and have volunteers at WVU women’s soccer camps and youth clinics. When training with the national team in all parts of Canada, the duo volunteers with local soccer clubs, speaking to and coaching youth soccer players.

 

The candidate class with be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, 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 then select one male and one female candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four C’s of community, classroom, character and competition.

 

The Senior CLASS Award winners will be announced during the 2016 NCAA Men’s and Women’s College Cup championships in December.