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North Carolina’s Ali Hawkins selected 2010 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award winner for women’s soccer

December 03, 2010

CARY, NC – North Carolina midfielder Ali Hawkins, who has led her Tar Heel team to three NCAA® championships, has been selected as the 2010 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award winner for women’s soccer. The announcement and trophy presentation were made today by Lowe’s, an official Corporate Partner of the NCAA, during the 2010 Women’s College Cup® in Cary, North Carolina.

The award, chosen by a nationwide vote of Division I women’s soccer coaches, national soccer media and fans, is given annually to the most outstanding senior student-athlete in NCAA Division I women’s soccer. 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.

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Lowe’s 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.

“I think what this award recognizes are qualities which Carolina athletics promotes and fosters.  Anything I’ve done at Carolina is the result of every other person I’ve encountered and what they’ve invested in me – coaches, teammates, people in the athletic department, teachers, friends, all the associations I’ve made in my time here,” Hawkins said. “Carolina promotes an atmosphere where student-athletes become well-rounded. I’m so happy I had the opportunity to not only play four years but have a fifth season as well because it allowed me to develop into the person I am today. Winning the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award not only is an immense honor for me, but I know it also recognizes what an amazing place Carolina is.”

Hawkins has a cumulative grade point average of 3.8 in her double major of economics and political science. She is a Phi Beta Kappa selection and a National Merit Scholarship winner. As part of her community service endeavors, Hawkins established Student Athletes Leading Social Change, a group to provide former and current student-athletes with an avenue to promote and participate in local, national and international social development through service activities.

“In my 30-plus years of coaching, having an athlete like Ali Hawkins is extraordinarily rare — not just because of her competitive excellence but because she lives the ideals of the student-athlete,” North Carolina head coach Anson Dorrance said. “She was not just a great player in our program but an extraordinary scholar. She is one of the greatest leaders in the history of our program. She has won the Kelly Muldoon Core Value Award indicative of principle-centered living and character more than once in her career here. It is the highest award we give any athlete in our program.”

Hawkins led North Carolina to national titles in 2006, 2008 and 2009 and is a three-time captain. She has played for United States youth national teams throughout her career.

“Ali’s accomplishments on the field are practically unrivalled and she’s a stellar student,” said Tom Lamb, Lowe’s senior vice president of marketing. “But what impressed us even more was her selfless attitude in giving back to the community. She took a leadership role in creating an avenue for fellow student-athletes to do that same thing.”

Women’s Soccer 2010 Winner

First Team

Second Team