Sept. 17, 2008

LMU senior soccer players Stefanie Baduria and Stephen Carlson have each been selected as candidates nation-wide for the 2008 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, it was announced Wednesday. The pair are the only representatives from the West Coast Conference while Baduria is the first Lions women's soccer player to be nominated for the award. Carlson is the second Lion men's soccer player to be nominated for the award, following on the heels of Trini Gomez, who was a finalist in 2007 and named to the Lowe's Senior CLASS All-America First Team.

Baduria (Long Beach, CA) is in her fifth year at LMU having battled back from two season-ending knee surgeries. A team-captain, she has garnered many accolades on and off the field. In 2007, she was named Honorable Mention All-WCC, as well as Academic All-WCC and Second Team NSCAA Academic All-Region. In 2004, she was a member of the WCC All-Freshman Team. In May of 2008, she graduated from LMU with a degree in Liberal Studies but returned to campus for a fifth year, during which she is pursuing a Masters in Education. She carried a cumulative GPA of 3.48 as an undergraduate and plans a career in teaching after she completes her Masters.

Carlson (Honolulu, HI) is a team captain for the Lions in 2008, his fifth year at LMU after taking a medical redshirt in 2006. An Honorable Mention All-WCC performer as a sophomore, Carlson is a leader on the young Lions team in 2008, helping to mentor a squad that features 18 freshmen and sophomores. He also excels at a high level in the classroom, where he is a Civil Engineering major carrying a 3.51 GPA. He has been named to the Dean's List four times and to the Director's List (GPA over 3.0) twice during his LMU career. He serves as a tutor for students and a Teaching Assistant in the Soil Mechanics class and is a member of the Tau Beta Pi engineering honors society. In the community, Carlson has helped coach young players at a variety of soccer camps, including the Paul Krumpe Soccer Academy, ProExtreme Camps, and LMU Summer Camps. In the spring of 2008, he and the LMU men's soccer team joined Habitat for Humanity to re-build a house in inner-city Los Angeles.

ABOUT THE AWARD
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award honors the attributes of senior student-athletes in four areas: classroom, community, character and competition. The award program is designed exclusively for college seniors who are utilizing their complete athletic eligibility, remaining committed to their university and pursuing the many rewards that a senior season can bring. For more information, visit www.seniorclassaward.com.

The 2008 candidates on the women's side represent 26 different NCAA colleges and universities and 19 athletics conferences across the country. The men's list features 28 schools representing 17 conferences. From the list of 30 candidates, a national media committee will select 10 finalists for the 2008 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award in both divisions in October. Those 10 names from each division will then be placed on the official ballot for a nationwide vote beginning October 9 and concluding November 19. Fan balloting will be coupled with votes from coaches and media to determine the recipient of the award. Winners will be announced during the 2008 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championships in Cary, North Carolina, scheduled for December 5-7, and during the 2008 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championships in Frisco, Texas, scheduled for December 12-14. - GO LIONS -