Aug. 26, 2009
Complete Release in PDF Format
EVANSTON, Ill. -
Northwestern University senior men's soccer defender Mark Blades (Lakewood, Ohio/St. Ignatius) has been named one of 30 national candidates for the sport's Lowe's 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--classroom, character, community and competition.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in SchoolTM, 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.
Blades has helped guide the Wildcats to NCAA tournament appearances during each of first three seasons, including a pair of berths in the quarterfinal round. A third-team NSCAA All-American last year, he played a key role in NU posting a school-record 13 shutouts while ranking sixth in the country with a 0.55 goals-against average. Blades is a two-time second-team All-Big Ten pick and was a first-team All-Great Lakes Region pick in 2008. He is one of 38 individuals to be named to this year's Hermann Trophy Watch List. The Hermann Trophy is awarded annually to the nation's top collegiate soccer player.
The 30 candidates 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 the candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of classroom, character, community and competition. Lowe's, an official Corporate Partner of the NCAA, will announce the Senior CLASS Award winners during the 2009 NCAA Men's and Women's College Cup championships in early December. For more information, visit www.seniorclassaward.com.