OVERLAND PARK, Kan. -- NSCAA All-American Kelsey Carpenter was named one of seven national finalists for the 2007 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award for outstanding performance in four areas -- classroom, character, community and competition.
Fans can vote from Wednesday, Oct. 17 through Wednesday, Nov. 21. Balloting will be coupled with votes from coaches, media and sponsors to determine the recipient of the award. Winners will be announced during the NCAA Women's Division I Soccer Championships from Friday, Dec. 7 to Sunday, Dec. 9 in College Station.
Carpenter, a sport management major, had a 3.5 grade point average entering the fall of 2007. The Allen, Texas native added a minor in communication sciences and disorders after taking a UT sign language course.
Carpenter was selected for her commitment to her participation in the community, her passionate leadership amongst her teammates, and her success on the soccer pitch.
"Any time you recognize a student-athlete for something other than a sport, it's flattering," said Carpenter. "Every day people are not often recognized so it's exciting to be on a platform for other things. There's always an emphasis on doing good things in the community. It's a culture that's cultivated here at Texas. You're in the public eye so why not be seen for good things. That's what The University of Texas promotes."
The 2007 team captain volunteered in the greater Austin area at the Texas School for the Deaf and three local churches. Carpenter combined her passion for her Christian faith with the opportunity to help hearing-impaired students, and aided the pastor at Austin's Jesus Lutheran Church during programs and special events.
Carpenter is one of the most decorated Texas Soccer student-athletes in its 14-year history. The U.S. Under-21 National Team standout helped win the 2007 Nordic Cup in July. The All-American has led or shared the lead for UT's scoring offense for the last three years.
The three-year letterwinner holds the UT school record in game-winning goals, which she set as a junior and is in the top five of six offensive categories -- both individual and career. During Carpenter's tenure, UT has advanced to the NCAA Third Round (round of 16) twice and was selected as a No. 1 national seed in the 2006 NCAA Soccer Tournament.
This year, Carpenter is tied for second on the team in goals scored with six. She has the second-highest point total of any Longhorn with 15. She is in the top 10 in the Big 12 in shots, points, and goals. She is one goal shy of tying the UT school record of 12 career game-winning goals.
As a team, the Longhorns are 10-2-2 and 3-1-1 in Big 12 games. Texas set program history with its No. 1 national ranking in the Soccer America magazine national poll on Oct. 8. The Longhorns registered double-digit wins in a season for the eighth consecutive year and are unbeaten in 12 of its 14 matches this year.
An acronym for "Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School," the award was launched during the 2001-02 season in response to the trend of college basketball players leaving college early to turn professional. The award was conceived by sportscaster Dick Enberg, who continues to serve as honorary chairman, and has recognized winners in men's and women's basketball for six years.
Lowe's extended the award in the spring of 2007 to include four other NCAA sports: baseball, softball, men's hockey and men's lacrosse. With the addition of men's and women's soccer in fall 2007, a total of eight sports are now included in the awards program.
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