INDIANAPOLIS -- Butler University men's basketball player Matt Howard (Connersville, Ind.) and Green Bay women’s basketball senior Kayla Tetschlag (Sheboygan, Wis.) have both been named as candidates for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award in men's and women’s basketball, respectively, the selection committee announced Wednesday.
Howard and Tetschlag are each one of 30 student-athletes nominated for the award, which is annually given to the Division I men's and women's senior basketball players who have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition.
Howard, a First Team ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-American last season, was selected to the publication’s second team in 2008-09. The two-time Horizon League first-team Academic All-League member received the NCAA Elite 88 Award at the 2010 Final Four. Howard was also selected by the Sporting News in its 2010 list of the smartest athletes in sports.
This year Howard will be a team captain for the second straight season and frequently volunteers his time to serve in a local soup kitchen, working at Thanksgiving and Christmas in each of his three years at Butler.
This season’s Preseason Horizon League Player of the Year, Tetschlag is a solid 4.0 student and a member of the Dean’s List. Last season, Tetschlag was a First Team Academic All-District selection and consistent member of the Horizon League Academic Honor Roll in addition to being a DI AAA Scholar-Athlete award recipient.
Tetschlag also volunteers at the Boys and Girls Club after-school program, assisting children with their homework and development. Also a member of SAAC (Student Athlete Advisory Committee), Tetschlag is actively involved in the American Marketing Association.
On the court, Tetschlag is a First Team All-League selection, posting a career-high 29 points in Green Bay’s game against Iowa State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Tetschlag also finished the 2009 season second in the league in field goal percentage (55.9), sixth in free-throw percentage (80.5) and seventh in defensive rebounds (6.5).
The 2011 women’s candidate class includes five players who were CoSIDA Academic All-Americans last year, 22 student-athletes with grade point averages of 3.0 or better, four players who participated in the 2010 Women’s Final Four and 15 players on the preseason watch list for the John R. Wooden Award.
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 students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.The candidate class will be narrowed to 10 men’s and 10 women’s finalists midway through the regular season, and those 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 finalist who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.
Tags: Butler - Men's Basketball · Green Bay - Women's Basketball
