Brechtel Named Candidate for Senior CLASS Award

Senior infielder Julie Brechtel was named a candidate for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award on Wednesday. Brechtel was one of 30 players nationally named to the list and was the only player selected from the Big 12 Conference.

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award honors the attributes of senior student-athletes in four areas: community, classroom, character and competition. From the list of 30 candidates, a national media committee will select 10 finalists for the award in late March. Those 10 names will then be placed on the official ballot for a nationwide vote. Fan balloting will be coupled with votes from coaches and media to determine the 2011 winner, who will be announced at the Women's College World Series in June.

Brechtel is in her fourth year as Nebraska's starting second baseman. She has excelled both athletically and academically, earning all-district honors on the field and in the classroom last season. Brechtel owns two Nebraska career records and could become only the seventh player in school history to total 100 hits, 100 runs scored and 100 RBIs this season.

In the classroom, Brechtel carries a 3.7 cumulative grade-point average as a double major in business administration and marketing, with minors in economics and art. She is a two-time first-team academic All-Big 12 selection and has earned a spot on the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll in each of her seven semester at Nebraska. Brechtel has also been active in the community, volunteering her time with both local and national organizations.

Brechtel is the first Nebraska softball player to be a candidate for the award. She is the second female student-athlete at Nebraska to be a candidate for the award this year, joining volleyball setter Sydney Anderson. Former women's basketball player Kelsey Griffin is the only Husker to take home a Lowe's Senior CLASS Award.

2011 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award Softball Candidates
Paige Affleck, Pitcher, BYU
Julie Brechtel, Second Base, Nebraska
Stephanie Brombacher, Pitcher, Florida
Megan Bush, Utility, Florida
Anna Cahn, Designated Player/Pitcher, Cal Poly
Morgan Childers, Pitcher, South Carolina Upstate
Elizabeth Dalrymple, Pitcher, Cornell
Annie Dubovec, Pitcher, Robert Morris
Danielle Glosson, Pitcher, Southern Illinois
Alisa Goler, Infield, Georgia
Kelly Grieve, Centerfield, Tennessee
Kristina Karpun, Catcher, Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne
Chelsea Kelley, Pitcher, Radford
Whitney Larsen, Infield, Alabama
Brittany Lastrapes, Left Field, Arizona
Alex Morocco, Centerfield, DePaul
Jennifer Nayudu, Outfield/Designated Player, Loyola Marymount
Kara Nelson, Second Base, Illinois State
Kristin Nicoletti, Outfield, Saint Louis
Toni Paisley, Pitcher, East Carolina
Kristine Priebe, First Base, Georgia Tech
Lesley Rogers, Outfield, Arizona State
Jenn Salling, Infield, Washington
Taylor Schlopy, Outfield, Georgia
Jenna Schwark, Utility, Missouri State
April Setterlund, Outfield, Boston
Dorian Shaw, Outfield, Michigan
Jessie Snyder, Second Base/Utility, Bucknell
Andrea Waters, Outfield/Pitcher, Delaware State
Danielle Zymkowitz, Second Base, Illinois