A week after being named the 2011 MAAC Preseason Player of the Year, Canisius College senior women's soccer player Kelly Reinwald has been chosen as one of 30 national candidates for the 2011 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award announced on Wednesday.
Reinwald, a three-time All-MAAC First Team selection and a three-time All-MAAC preseason team selection, has started in all 60 games she has appeared in, tallying 26 goals and 24 assists for 76 career points. In recognition of her success on the field and in the classroom, the forward was selected to the MAAC All-Academic Team in 2009 and 2010. Majoring in finance, she currently holds a 3.92 GPA.
In addition to her success in the classroom and on the field, Reinwald has served in the Buffalo community with Habitat For Humanity and at the National Women in Sports Day throughout her collegiate career.
The Stafford, Va. native was one of 30 men's and women's soccer candidates for the 2011 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award to maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or better. In addition, she was one of 10 overall candidates to be recognized as a College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA)/Capitol One Academic All-American, receiving a second-team honor in 2010.
"Kelly works hard everyday both in the classroom and on the practice field. It is a well-deserved honor to be considered with 30 of the top women's soccer players in the nation. I believe she is one of the best players in the MAAC as well as one of the top-30 players in the country. Her stats, grades, and commitment demonstrate it everyday. She is thankful for the honor," said head women's soccer coach Jim Wendling.
In 2010, Reinwald collected 34 points to place her in the top-15 in the nation, including 11 goals and 12 assists. Named as the 2010 MAAC Co-Offensive Player of the Year, the forward became the first player in program history to be named MAAC Preseason Player of the Year.
"For the upcoming season, Reinwald was voted by her teammates to serve as one of the captains. Serving as a leader on the field, she challenges her teammates with her strong work ethic and desire, making others around her better. She is a selfless leader, who values her team's success on the field rather than her individual accomplishments," stated Wendling.
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. 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. The complete list of candidates follows this release.
Each of the 30 candidate classes will 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 select one male candidate and one female candidate who best exemplify excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.
Canisius will open the 2011 regular season on the road at Wright State on Sunday, August 21 with the game time set for 1 p.m.
Women's Soccer Candidates
Melanie Baskind, Midfielder/Forward, Harvard
Jana Basubas, Midfielder, Lehigh
Kathleen Beljan, Defender, Dayton
Sidra Bonner, Defender, Cornell
Colleen Boyd, Goalkeeper, Oregon State
Kate Deines, Midfielder, Washington
Danielle Foxhoven, Forward, Portland
Katy Frierson, Midfielder, Auburn
CoCo Goodson, Defender, UC Irvine
Chelsea Hatcher, Midfielder/Forward, Tennessee
Melissa Henderson, Forward, Notre Dame
Bianca Henninger, Goalkeeper, Santa Clara
Laura Heyboer, Forward, Michigan State
Tori Huster, Midfielder, Florida State
Mo Isom, Goalkeeper, LSU
Kelsey Kearney, Goalkeeper, UNC Greensboro
Natalie Kulla, Goalkeeper, Marquette
Sydney Leroux, Forward, UCLA
Krista Lopez, Forward, Oklahoma State
Paige Maxwell, Forward, Ohio State
Kerry McBride, Defender/Midfielder, Marquette
Teresa Noyola, Midfielder, Stanford
Kelly Reinwald, Midfielder, Canisius
Aline Reis, Goalkeeper, Central Florida
Chandra Salmon-Christensen, Defender, Utah State
Casey Short, Midfielder, Florida State
Lizzy Simonin, Defender, Memphis
Jasmyne Spencer, Forward, Maryland
Jessica Teahan, Goalkeeper, Missouri State
Ingrid Wells, Midfielder, Georgetown