April 13, 2017
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - Kasey Cooper has been chosen as a finalist for the 2017 Senior CLASS Award, Premier Sports Management announced Thursday. Cooper is the first player in program history to be selected as a finalist for the award.
To be eligible for the award, student-athletes must be classified as NCAA Division I seniors and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the 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.
Cooper is one of just 10 women in the country in contention for the prestigious award.
The Dothan, Ala. native is currently first in program history in home runs (63), RBI (256) and slugging percentage (.760). She is also positioned in the top five in batting average, hits, runs, doubles and on-base percentage.
The reigning SEC Player of the Year is one of just two in league history to amass 250 hits and 250 RBI in a career.
Cooper set seven single-season program records last season en route to being named the espnW National Player of the Year.
The three-time All-American is also the first player in Auburn history to selected to be a member of the USA National Team and has competed for her country the past two seasons.
Cooper is also a standout in the classroom, maintaining a 3.98 GPA as a mechanical engineering major. She is a two-time Academic All-American and was the 2016 SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Cooper was also recognized as the NCAA Elite 90 winner, given to the student-athlete who holds the highest GPA at the finals site for the NCAA Championships.
The finalists were chosen by national media from the list of 30 candidates announced earlier this month. Nationwide fan voting begins immediately to help select the winner, and fans are encouraged to submit votes online at the Senior CLASS Award website through May 9.
Fan votes will be combined with those of the media and Division I head coaches to determine the winners. The Senior CLASS Award recipient for softball will be announced during the 2017 NCAA Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City, June 1-7.