OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Thirty of the top NCAA^® softball student-athletes who excel both on and off the field were selected as candidates today for the 2020 Senior CLASS Award^® in collegiate softball and three Southern Conference players were honored. 

ETSU infielder Nikki Grupp, Mercer pitcher Stella Preston and Chattanooga outfielder Aly Walker are three of 30 candidates.  
 
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. The complete list of candidates follows this release.
 
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. 
 
The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists later in the 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 candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.
 
The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2020 Women’s College World Series^®.

2020 Softball Candidates
Kelsey Aikey, WKU                                              Ava Lawson, Northern Kentucky
Aliyah Andrews, LSU                                           Katie Marino, University of Notre Dame
Sis Bates, Washington                                         Nicole Mendes, University of Oklahoma
AnaMarie Bruni, South Florida                             Ali Milam, Marist
Maria Cegledy, Kent State                                   Hunter Mundy, Radford University
Cassidy Clark, San Jose State                            Claire Oberdorf, Marist
Montana DeCamp, North Dakota State .             Brittany Pickett, North Carolina
Tristen Edwards, University of Nebraska             Stella Preston, Mercer
Amber Fiser, University of Minnesota                  Marnie Skinner, Iona College
Morganne Flores, Washington                             Mary-Hannah Smith, Lehigh
Celene Funke, University of Louisville                 Julia Smith-Harrington, Towson
Adriana Gambino, Manhattan College                 Amber Swinarski, Columbia University
Nikki Grupp, ETSU                                               Alyssa Walker, Chattanooga
Karli Hamilton, Texas Tech University                  Kayla Wedl, UIC
Jessie Harper, Arizona                                         Keri White, Appalachian State University