OVERLAND PARK, Kan.—South Dakota senior guard
Allison Arens was named one of 30 candidates for the 2018-19 Senior CLASS Award Friday.
Arens is a team captain and the Coyotes' lone senior this season. She is a two-time all-Summit League first team selection, helping the Coyotes to a perfect 14-0 Summit League regular season title in 2018.
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 classified as an NCAA Division I senior with notable achievements in the areas of community, classroom, character and competition.
A native of Crofton, Nebraska, Arens is an elementary education major at South Dakota with a 3.84 grade-point average. She earned 2017 CoSIDA Academic All-District honors and is a two-time Academic All-Summit League honoree.
Arens became South Dakota's 25th 1,000-point scorer in the season opener at Creighton. She averages nearly 10 points, four rebounds and 2.5 rebounds per game for her career. Arens holds five school records from the free-throw line, including her career percentage of 86.9. She's reached double figures in 51 of her 107 career games with 16 games above 20 points.
In the Vermillion community, Arens and her teammates volunteer with several different programs. She's involved with the Jolley Elementary School reading program, serves food at the Vermillion Welcome Table and volunteers with special needs students at Vermillion High School. Other activities the Coyotes have been involved with include an afternoon playing softball with the Miracle League of Sioux City, recycling and packaging goods for a food drive at the Vermillion Armory and sang Christmas carols at the Vermillion nursing home.
The list of candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists in February. Those names will be placed on the official ballot and voted on by nationwide media, coaches and fans. The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced at the 2019 NCAA Women's Final Four.
Women's Basketball Candidates:
| Kristine Anigwe |
Cal Berkeley |
Megan Huff |
Utah |
| Allison Arens |
South Dakota |
Paris Kea |
North Carolina |
| Sammie Bachrodt |
Drake |
Jessica Kovatch |
Saint Francis |
| Cassidy Barrios |
Nicholls State |
Deanna Kuzmanic |
Alabama |
| Allazia Blockton |
Marquette |
Kitija Laksa |
South Florida |
| Bianca Boggs |
William & Mary |
Kennedy Leonard |
Colorado |
| Kalani Brown |
Baylor |
Teaira McCowan |
Mississippi State |
| KeKe Calloway |
Mercer |
Macy Miller |
South Dakota State |
| Bridget Carleton |
Iowa State |
Teniya Page |
Penn State |
| Napheesa Collier |
Connecticut |
Katie Powell |
UNLV |
| Sophie Cunningham |
Missouri |
Tori Schickel |
Butler |
| Asia Durr |
Louisville |
Alanna Smith |
Stanford |
| Mart'e Grays |
DePaul |
Hallie Thome |
Michigan |
| Megan Gustafson |
Iowa |
Brianna Turner |
Notre Dame |
| Presley Hudson |
Central Michigan |
Courtney Woods |
Northern Illinois |
