OVERLAND PARK, Kan. ? Elon senior goalkeeper Clint Irwin was selected as one of 30 men’s soccer student-athletes who excel both on and off the field to be a candidate for the 2010 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award. To be eligible for the honor, a student-athlete must be classified as a NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence ? classroom, character, community and competition. This is the second consecutive year that a Phoenix senior has been one of the 30 candidates for the award after defender Steven Kinney earned a position on the list in 2009.
“It is great to have Clint on this very prestigious list,” stated Elon head men’s soccer coach Darren Powell. “He has been a tremendous student-athlete in his time so far at Elon and has also worked well in the local soccer community. We hope he can have another great year.”
The Phoenix’s standout goalie was instrumental in leading Elon to an appearance in the Southern Conference Tournament championship game last season, posting a school single-season record 10 shutouts along the way. In three seasons, Irwin is tied for first in Elon’s career record book with 19 clean slates. The Charlotte, N.C. native owns a career goals against average (GAA) of 0.94, currently fourth all-time in program history. As a junior, Irwin recorded a 0.88 GAA which was best in the league and ranked 44th in the country. Irwin is a three-time All-Southern Conference performer and was recently selected to the 2010 Hermann Trophy Watch List.
Off the field, Irwin has served as a volunteer for the Special Olympics and Elon Athletics Youth Day. He also offers his time to Strategies to Elevate People (S.T.E.P.), an inner-city ministry program. A political science major, Irwin maintains a 3.48 grade point average and has been a member of the academic all-conference team.
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.
The list of 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 the media, coaches and fans who will select the winner. The recipient of the 2010 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award will be announced during the NCAA College Cup in early December.