Espinoza-Hunter Named Candidate for Senior CLASS Award
12/7/2021 12:07:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Pirate small forward is one of only 30 women's basketball players nationwide to be named a candidate.
OVERLAND PARK, KAN. – Graduate student Andra Espinoza-Hunter (Ossining, N.Y.) was one of only 30 student-athletes nationwide to be named a candidate for the 2022 Senior CLASS Award in collegiate women's basketball.
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To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior or in her final year of eligibility 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.
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The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists later in the regular season, and those 10 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 candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition. The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2022 NCAA Division I Women's Final Four this spring.
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Twice named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll already this season, Espinoza-Hunter currently ranks fifth in the BIG EAST Conference with a 17.0 points per game average. On Nov. 16 vs. Lehigh, she erupted for her second career double-double with season-highs of 22 points and 10 rebounds. Espinoza-Hunter was named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team and the Cheryl Miller Award Watch List, which honors the top small forward in the nation.
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Espinoza-Hunter joined the Pirates mid-season last year and immediately took the BIG EAST by storm. Since joining the team, she scored in double-figures in 22 of 23 games, reached 20 points 10 times. Espinoza-Hunter finished third in the conference with an 18.6 points per game average last year, and twice drained seven three-pointers in a game, tying for the second-most in a single-game in Pirate history. Espinoza-Hunter's 3.1 made three-pointer per game led the conference by a wide margin.
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To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior or in her final year of eligibility 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.
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The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists later in the regular season, and those 10 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 candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition. The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2022 NCAA Division I Women's Final Four this spring.
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Twice named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll already this season, Espinoza-Hunter currently ranks fifth in the BIG EAST Conference with a 17.0 points per game average. On Nov. 16 vs. Lehigh, she erupted for her second career double-double with season-highs of 22 points and 10 rebounds. Espinoza-Hunter was named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team and the Cheryl Miller Award Watch List, which honors the top small forward in the nation.
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Espinoza-Hunter joined the Pirates mid-season last year and immediately took the BIG EAST by storm. Since joining the team, she scored in double-figures in 22 of 23 games, reached 20 points 10 times. Espinoza-Hunter finished third in the conference with an 18.6 points per game average last year, and twice drained seven three-pointers in a game, tying for the second-most in a single-game in Pirate history. Espinoza-Hunter's 3.1 made three-pointer per game led the conference by a wide margin.
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Players Mentioned
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/ Women's BasketballWednesday, April 29
Wednesday, April 29
Thursday, April 23
Tuesday, April 21
