NKU's McDonald Announced as Candidate for 2018 Senior CLASS Award
Courtesy of Northern Kentucky Athletics
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky men's basketball student-athlete Drew McDonald is one of 30 candidates announced for the 2018 CLASS 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. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.
The candidate pool will be narrowed to 10 finalists in February, with those names being placed on the official ballot. Ballots will then be distributed nationwide for voting by media, coaches and fans, who will then select one candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four C's - Community, Classroom, Character and Competition.
McDonald has been an exceptional student-athlete during his career with the Norse. He regularly visits his elementary school, serving as a mentor and role model to the students. In addition he has volunteered at the Ronald McDonald House, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Henry Hosea House and several other local events as well.
McDonald is a two-time Horizon League All-Academic Team honoree and has been named to the Horizon League Honor Roll four-straight semesters, and has also been named to the NKU Dean's List twice. Majoring in Marketing, McDonald holds a 3.37 GPA.
Over the last few years, McDonald has assumed a leadership role within NKU's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, serving as one of four members of the leadership team.
Competitively, McDonald led NKU to the 2018 Horizon League regular-season title and an appearance in the NIT, as well as the 2017 Horizon League Tournament Championship and subsequent berth in the NCAA Tournament. Finally, the 6-foot-8 power forward has amassed 1,581 points and 845 career rebounds in just three years. He is already Northern Kentucky's career leader in defensive rebounds with 565.
In addition to being a candidate for the Senior CLASS Award, McDonald is also a candidate for the Naismith Hall of Fame's Karl Malone Award, presented to the nation's top power-forward, and on the watch list for College Insider's Lou Henson Award, given to the nation's best mid-major player.
The Norse are 7-1 on the year and play UMBC at BB&T Arena tonight. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
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