Feb. 20, 2013

2013 Senior CLASS Award Softball Candidate Bios

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Senior team captain Maggie Hull was named one of the 30 candidates for the 2013 Senior CLASS Award in collegiate softball, announced by the committee Wednesday morning.

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 – community, classroom, character and competition. Hull joins seniors Jeff Withey from the men’s basketball team and Angel Goodrich from women’s basketball as fellow Jayhawks to be named to Senior CLASS candidacy during the 2012-13 season.

The candidate class will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 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 one finalist who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs. The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2013 NCAA Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City May 30 through June 5.

Hull became the 11th Academic All-American in Kansas softball history at the conclusion of the 2012 season, being named to the Third Team by Capital One and CoSIDA. While leading the Big 12 in batting average for the entirety of the regular season, Hull also held down a perfect 4.0 GPA as a double major in journalism and Spanish for the spring 2012 semester.

A Lawrence, Kan., native, Hull finds ways to give back to her hometown whenever she can. Dedicated to her work with the college ministry group called ‘KU Young Life College’ year-round, Hull still manages to find time to devote at least six hours per week to her leadership role with the organization while in season.

She has also joined forces with her fellow student-athletes to bring an FCA chapter to the University of Kansas. Hull makes lesson plans and volunteers as a Children’s Ministry teacher for kindergartners and first graders at her church once per month. Actively involved with community outreach, she and her family (twin sister Rosie is also a member of the team) volunteer with Lawrence Community Shelter, helping serve meals as well as simply spending time visiting with the residents. Using her Spanish major to help, Hull often has acted as a translator for Spanish-speaking students and student-athletes 

In 2012, Hull recorded a remarkable .409 batting average, breaking a KU single-season record that stood for more than 30 years. She led her team with 67 hits and scored 46 runs, which tied a Kansas record for the most runs scored in a season. At the conclusion of her historic 2012 campaign, Hull earned All-Big 12 First Team honors, making her KU’s first player to earn first team all-conference status since 2006.

For her hard work, Hull was also named an NFCA All-Region First Team member, just one step below All-American status. A career .343 hitter, Hull led her team during the 2011 season, as well, chalking up a team-best .346 batting average and 49 RBIs as a sophomore. That performance earned her All-Big 12 Second Team honors at the conclusion of the season.

ABOUT THE AWARD
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. The award program is designed exclusively for college seniors who are utilizing their complete athletic eligibility, remaining committed to their university and pursuing the many rewards a senior season can bring. Premier Sports Management owns and manages the award.

2013 NCAA Division I Softball Candidates

Emily Allard, Northwestern

Brooke Andresen, Loyola (Chicago)

Nikki Armagost, Pacific

Jennifer Barnett, Northern Illinois

B.B. Bates, UCLA

Kayla Braud, Alabama

Amy Buntin, Notre Dame

Allie Cashion, Appalachian State

Raven Chavanne, Tennessee

Kelly Coker, Rhode Island

Kara Dill, Kentucky

Kara Dornbos, Central Michigan

Rachele Fico, LSU

Olivia Galati, Hofstra

Mikkel Griffin, Southern Utah

Jolene Henderson, California

Kelsey Horton, Florida

Maggie Hull, Kansas

Shannon Jones, Siena

Courtney Liddle, Virginia Tech

Blaire Luna, Texas

Kelly Majam, Hawai'i

Jenna Marston, Missouri

Jennifer Ong, Yale

Jenna Rich, Stanford

Keilani Ricketts, Oklahoma

Emily Roesch, Boston

Jessica Shults, Oklahoma

Stephanie Thompson, Brown

Brianna Turang, Oklahoma

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