Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (January 6, 2020) – Twenty-two Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA^®) men’s and women’s basketball student-athletes who excel both on and off the field, were selected as candidates today for the Lowe’s CIAA Senior CLASS Award^®. 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. 
 
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as a senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. The complete list of candidates follows this release.
 
The Lowe’s CIAA Senior CLASS Award, which focuses on men’s and women’s basketball players from the CIAA, is a division of the national Senior CLASS Award program that recognizes student-athletes in 10 NCAA Division I sports.
 
CIAA award candidates were nominated by their respective universities. Of those 22 student-athletes, all are in excellent academic standing at their universities with five holding GPAs of 3.5 or greater, and five were honored with preseason conference honors for outstanding performance on the court. Each of the candidates volunteers his or her time with charitable organizations and causes while upholding a reputation for positive character on campus and in the community.
 
“The Lowe’s CIAA Senior CLASS Award shows the company’s commitment to the CIAA mission, which is to support and showcase our student-athletes through community, classroom, character and competition,” said CIAA Commissioner Jacqie McWilliams. Their involvement on the campuses, culminating at the tournament, helps to recognize and celebrate the overall NCAA Division II student-athlete experience and the BEST IN CLASS.”
 
Each of the men’s and women’s candidates will be recognized on-court at a home game during the season. The winners will be determined through a voting system that includes fans, CIAA basketball media and conference coaches. Fan balloting will take place from January 21 through February 10 at LowesCIAASCA.com, the award website that will contain information about each candidate and the overall program.
 
The male and female winner will be announced during the CIAA Tournament in Charlotte, North Carolina, and presented with the prestigious Senior CLASS Award trophy at the championship games on Saturday, February 29.
 
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Women’s Basketball 2019-20 Candidates

Adel Allen, Livingstone
Shantel Bennett, Fayetteville State
Angela Caraballo, Saint Augustine’s
Jasmine Carter, Virginia Union
Taylor Daniels, Winston-Salem State
Yazmen Hannah, Virginia State
Dejoria Howard, Shaw
Shakarri Mack, Claflin
Kwanza Murray, Lincoln
Markeia Porter, Elizabeth City State
Malia Rivers, Johnson C. Smith
Kyaja Williams, Bowie State

 
Men’s Basketball 2019-20 Candidates

Joseph Allen, Elizabeth City State
Julius Barnes, Winston-Salem State
David Belle, Bowie State
Haneef Britt, Claflin
Andrew Corum, Virginia State
Darian Daniels, Shaw
Jalen Gaddy, Saint Augustine’s
Denzell Hosch, Fayetteville State
Nenad Milenkovic, Johnson C. Smith
Roger Ray, Livingstone

 
 
ABOUT THE AWARD
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Lowe’s CIAA Senior CLASS Award recognizes the CIAA's top senior men's and women's basketball student-athletes. In addition to the core requirement that a candidate be an NCAA Division II CIAA senior in men's or women's basketball, the award winners are selected based on personal qualities that define a complete student-athlete. These areas of excellence are defined by the four Cs: community, classroom, character and competition. Premier Sports Management manages the award.
 
ABOUT LOWE’S IN THE COMMUNITY
Lowe’s, a FORTUNE® 50 home improvement company, has a 60-year legacy of supporting the communities it serves through programs that focus on K-12 public education and community improvement projects. In the past decade, Lowe’s and the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation together have contributed more than $300 million to these efforts, and for more than two decades Lowe’s Heroes volunteers have donated their time to make our communities better places to live. For the latest news, visit Newsroom.Lowes.com or follow @LowesMedia on Twitter.
 
ABOUT THE CIAA
Founded in 1912, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) is the first African American athletic conference and one of the most recognized conferences in Division II. The CIAA conducts 14 championships attended by more than 150,000 fans from around the country. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the CIAA is governed by the Presidents and Chancellors of its 12 member-institutions: Bowie State University, Claflin University, Elizabeth City State University, Fayetteville State University, Johnson C. Smith University, Lincoln University of Pennsylvania, Livingstone College, Saint Augustine's University, Shaw University, Virginia State University, Virginia Union University, and Winston-Salem State University. Chowan University is an associate member for football and bowling. For more information on the CIAA, visit theciaa.com. For more information on the CIAA Basketball Tournament, visit CIAATournament.org, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.