Griffin Named Lowe's Senior CLASS Finalist

Lincoln - Nebraska senior forward Kelsey Griffin was named one of 10 finalists for the 2010 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award for NCAA Division I women's basketball on Wednesday, Feb. 3.

Griffin, a 6-2 power forward from Eagle River, Alaska, is in the midst of one of the most productive seasons in women's college basketball this year, averaging 19.3 points and 10.1 rebounds while leading the Huskers with 35 steals and 16 charges drawn.

The two-time first-team All-Big 12 selection is leading the Big 12 in rebounding, while ranking third in the league in scoring despite averaging just 26.6 minutes per game for the 19-0 Huskers, who have produced the best start and longest winning streak in school history. Griffin, who ranks among the top 25 players nationally in both scoring and rebounding, while ranking sixth in the country in field goal percentage (.614) has powered the Huskers' rise to a No. 4 national ranking - the highest ranking in Nebraska history.

As impressive as Griffin's per game averages appear, her per-40-minute production is nearly unmatched across the country this season, as she averages 29.1 points, 15.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.8 steals per 40 minutes.

Griffin is the Big 12 Conference's active career rebounding leader with 857, while ranking third among active scorers in the league with 1,715 points. She is one just three players in Nebraska history to record 1,700 points and 800 rebounds in her career, joining 1993 Wade Trophy winner Karen Jennings and All-American and two-time WNBA All-Star Anna DeForge.

The two-time first-team All-Big 12 selection is also a candidate for the Wade Trophy, the Naismith Trophy and the Wooden Award, as a national player-of-the-year candidate. In addition to her success on the court in her career, the All-America candidate is also a standout in the classroom and in the community.

In the classroom, Griffin is a two-time first-team academic All-Big 12 selection who carries nearly a 3.5 grade-point average as a biological sciences major. Projected as a high WNBA draft pick in 2010, Griffin hopes to pursue a career in the medical profession following her playing days.

In the community, Griffin has been a mentor at Belmont Elementary School for five years, and has served as a volunteer speaker multiple times for "School is Cool" week and the "School is Cool" celebration. She has also spoken several times during American Education Week, while helping the women's basketball team claim Nebraska's Life Skills Award of Excellence in 2006.

In 2006, Griffin earned a prestigious Nebraska "Hero" Leadership Award and served on the Nebraska Student-Athlete Advisory Board in 2006-07. She was also honored as a member of the Big 12 Conference Winter Good Works Team in 2007. She has also volunteered her time in the "Spotlight on Schools" program and has served as a volunteer instructor at countless basketball clinics over the past five years.

Griffin's success on and off the court has come despite multiple physical and emotional challenges throughout her career. As a freshman, Griffin was limited by illness during the second half of the season, but was still named the Big 12 Freshman of the Year by the Dallas Morning News. As a sophomore, Griffin battled a breathing condition that limited her endurance on the court, before playing with a cracked rib her entire junior season. During her sophomore (2007) and junior (2008) campaigns, Griffin led the Huskers to the NCAA Tournament. Last year, Griffin was forced to redshirt after undergoing a pair of foot surgeries that threatened her career.

She has returned to the court fully healthy and is enjoying one of the most productive seasons all-time at Nebraska, while leading the Huskers to one of the most successful years in program history.

An acronymn 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 finalists were chosen by a media committee from the list of 30 women's basketball candidates who were announced in October.

Nationwide balloting begins immediately to determine the winner. Lowe's, an official corporate partner of the NCAA, will announce the Senior CLASS Award winners during the 2010 NCAA Men's and Women's Final Fours in early April.

Fan balloting is available right now on the award's official web site: http://www.seniorCLASSaward.com, as well as through text messaging. Fans can text WBBALL to 74567 to vote for women's finalists. These votes will be combined with votes from coaches and media to determine the recipient of the award.

In addition to Griffin, the other women's basketball finalists are: Jayne Appel, Stanford; Amy Beggin, New Mexico; Joy Cheek, Duke; Alysha Clark, Middle Tennessee State; Tyra Grant, Penn State; Allison Hightower, LSU; Ashley Houts, Georgia; Ashley Sweat, Kansas State; and Bianca Thomas, Mississippi.

The 2009-10 season marks the ninth year of the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, and past women's basketball recipients include: Sue Bird (Connecticut, 2002), LaToya Thomas (Mississippi State, 2003), Alana Beard (Duke, 2004), Kendra Wecker (Kansas State, 2005), Seimone Augustus (LSU, 2006), Alison Bales (Duke, 2007), Candice Wiggins (Stanford, 2008), Courtney Paris (Oklahoma, 2009).