UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Senior guard Alex Bentley (Indianapolis, Ind.) has been selected as one of the 30 candidates for the 2012-13 Senior CLASS Award, given to the student-athletes that have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition. Midway through the year, the 10 finalists will be announced and give media, coaches and fans the opportunity to vote on the student-athletes the exemplifies the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.
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.
Bentley, who is on the 2013 Wade Watch List for the Nation’s best player, garnered first team All-Big Ten honors for the second-straight season and also took home honorable mention WBCA All-America accolades. She was second in the Big Ten and in the Top 20 nationally in steals, averaging 3.0 per game. The Big Ten All-Defensive team choice led Big Ten action with 49 steals in 16 games, becoming the first Lady Lion to lead the league in steals since Jess Strom did it in back-to-back years in 2003-04 and 2004-05. Additionally, Bentley was 11th in the conference in scoring (14.1), fourth in assists (4.7) and seventh in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.4).
Off the court, Bentley has been involved in several community service projects in her time at Penn State. Among her community service experiences, Bentley has painted houses as part of the United Way Day of Caring, served as a spotter for Easter Seals therapeutic horseback riding lessons for children, volunteered at local elementary schools and the YMCA, works our annual Special Olympics Basketball Clinic. Bentley and the Lady Lions are also very active in the Pink Zone (Play 4 Kay) initiative to raise money for breast cancer awareness and research. In six Pink Zone events, the Lady Lions have donated more than $562,000 to breast cancer causes and Bentley has been played a roll in helping to raise funds by attending various fundraising events.
In the classroom, Bentley served as an intern with local PBS affiliate WPSU in the summer of 2011, where she produced original content for LadyLions.com and Courtside with Coquese. She also had a summer internship with her hometown Indiana Fever of the WNBA in the summer of 2012.
For more information on all of the candidates, visit seniorCLASSaward.com.
Women’s Candidates
Kayla Alexander, Syracuse
Anne Marie Armstrong, Georgia
Alex Bentley, Penn State
Brittany Chambers, Kansas State
Layshia Clarendon, California
Tiffany Clarke, Vanderbilt
Elena Delle Donne, Delaware
Skylar Diggins, Notre Dame
Caroline Durbin, New Mexico
Shante Evans, Hofstra
Jennifer George, Florida
Angel Goodrich, Kansas
Lily Grenci, Siena
Brittney Griner, Baylor
Whitney Hand, Oklahoma
Tayler Hill, Ohio State
Jacqui Kalin, Northern Iowa
Marissa Kastanek, North Carolina State
Kevi Luper, Oral Roberts
Anna Martin, DePaul
A’dia Mathies, Kentucky
Victoria McGowan, Stetson
Drey Mingo, Purdue
Ta’Kenya Nixon, Eastern Illinois
Kaela Oakes, Idaho State
Chelsea Poppens, Iowa State
Jaime Printy, Iowa
Sugar Rodgers, Georgetown
Rachel Semansky, Montana State
Naama Shafir, Toledo
ABOUT THE AWARD
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award honors the attributes of senior student-athletes in four areas: community, classroom, 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 a senior season can bring. Premier Sports Management manages the award.
The Lady Lions open their 2012 season with an exhibition game against former Penn State standout Jess Strom and the California (Pa.) Vulcans on Sat., Nov. 3. Penn State’s regular-season opener is slated on Sun., Nov. 11 against Howard at the Bryce Jordan Center, where the Lady Lions will raise their 2012 Big Ten Championship banner.
Single game tickets for the Lady Lions go on sale Monday, Oct. 29. Tickets are $15 and $12 for adults and seniors and $9 and $7 for youth (12 and younger). Lady Lion Basketball season tickets are still available by calling 1-800-NITTANY. Season tickets are $99 for adults and $50 for youth (12 and under), this includes a Nittany Lion Kids Club Membership for 2012-13. The PNC Flex Books are available again this year for $99. The Flex Book gives fans 12 vouchers, 10 that can be redeemed in any combination for Nittany Lion and Lady Lion Basketball tickets throughout the year and two extra vouchers for the Nittany Lions’ Coaches Vs. Cancer game and the Lady Lions’ Pink Zone game.
The 2013 Pink Zone at Penn State will take place on Sunday, Feb. 24 as the Lady Lions take on Michigan in the Bryce Jordan Center. Last year, the Lady Lions donated a record $203,000 to breast cancer causes. This year’s fundraising efforts will benefit the Mount Nittany Medical Center, Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition, the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, J.C. Blair Memorial Hospital and Lewistown Hospital. For more information on the Pink Zone at Penn State, visit the official Pink Zone website at www.pennsylvaniapinkzone.org.
The Lady Lions are on Twitter. Follow sports information contact Kris Petersen (@ladylionsid) and the Lady Lions and coaches (@pennstatewbb) to get the inside scoop. The Lady Lions are also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pennstateladylions.
