Kelly Murphy nominated for Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award

Kelly Murphy, of the Florida Gators volleyball team, was selected as a candidate for the 2011 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award for female student athletes on Thursday.

Murphy is a three-time All-American (including First Team in 2010), reigning SEC Player of the Year and was named the AVCA National Freshman of the Year in 2008.

She has 22 career triple-doubles, a school record, and 60 career double-doubles. She entered the 1,000 kill and 1,000 point clubs in her junior season and was the only player to rank among the SEC’s top-10 individually in hitting percentage, kills per set and service aces per set.

In her three years in orange and blue, the Gators have compiled an impressive 81-12 record to go along with two SEC titles.

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 – celebrating student-athletes who excel both on and off the court. The complete list of candidates follows this release.

The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through 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 finalist who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.