Stiner on list of 20 for national award

MURFREESBORO - Twenty of the top student athletes in NCAA softball were announced today as candidates for the 2007 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award in the all-new softball division and Middle Tennessee's Shelby Stiner is on the list.. The award is presented annually to an NCAA Division I senior softball player who excels both on and off the field.

Stiner, the 2006 SBC Newcomer of the Year, is currently batting .298 for the Blue Raiders who enter play this weekend with a 7-5 conference mark.

Lowe's recently announced the addition of softball and three other NCAA sports to the award program that was originally launched in 2001 with basketball. Candidates were selected based on personal qualities that define a complete student athlete. While the on-the-field performance during their collegiate softball careers is a factor in determining candidates and the eventual winner, their personal character and off-the-field achievements in the classroom and community are major areas of focus.

The list of 20 candidates for the 2007 softball award represents 20 different schools from all around the country. The lineup includes schools from 12 different conferences, led by three nominees from the Missouri Valley Conference and three from the Pacific-10.

A national media committee will select 10 finalists for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award later in April. Those ten names will then be placed on the official ballot for a nationwide vote beginning April 26 and concluding May 21. Fan balloting will be coupled with votes from coaches, media and sponsors to determine the recipient of the award. Winners will be announced during the week of May 28 during the 2007 NCAA Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

"We are pleased to add softball to the growing list of NCAA sports of the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award," said Bob Gfeller, Lowe's Senior Vice President of Marketing and Advertising. "College athletics is filled with some remarkable female student athletes who excel in their sport, work hard towards their degree and make an impact in their local community. These 20 softball players are talented athletes and great citizens."

The award was conceived by sportscaster Dick Enberg, who continues to serve as Honorary Chairman. It was inspired by the remarkable story of former Duke star Shane Battier, who could have been an NBA lottery pick but returned to college for his senior season, led the Blue Devils to the national championship in 2001 and earned his college degree.

Following is a list of all 20 candidates:

Mary Kathryn Branan, Georgia State
Stephanie Brown, Notre Dame
Mary Jane Callahan, Mississippi
Garland Cooper, Northwestern
Lindsey Gerheim, Army
Kristina Hull, Georgia Tech
Dominique Lastrapes, Washington
Caitlin Lowe, Arizona
Katie Martin, Missouri State
Sharonda McDonald, Texas A&M
Ta'Tyana McElroy, Oregon State
Jamie Reiss, Creighton
Jackie Roberts, Utah Valley State
Jessica Rogers, Texas - San Antonio
Lindsay Schutzler, Tennessee
Cassidy Scoggins, Southern Illinois
Kate Sheaks, DePaul
Shelby Stiner, Middle Tennessee
Debbie Szalejko, Ohio
Panita Thanatharn, Long Beach State

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