OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (December 7, 2021) – Abby Wahl, a Senior Forward/Center for the EIU Panthers women's basketball team, has been named a candidate for the Senior CLASS Award. A four-year member of the team, the native of Santa Claus, Ind. has been exemplary both on the court and in the classroom during her time at EIU. The Elementary Education major is a three-time recipient of the OVC Academic Medal of Honor and she was named to the 2020-21 COSIDA Academic All-Distrct Team.Â
For her efforts on the court, she was named 1st team All-OVC for the 2020-21 season and was named to the preseason All-OVC team for this season. She is currently averaging 12 points per game and a team high 5.2 rebounds per game. Her 2.7 offensive rebounds per game rank third in the OVC. Her 86% free throw percentage ranks second in the conference. Her 37 made free throws on the season rank second in the OVC and 31st in the nation. She has had two games this season (vs. Evansville and vs. Northern Illinois) in which she has gone 10-of-10 from the free throw line.
She is currently just eight points away from becoming the 26th player in program history to score 1,000 career points. She is also 110 rebounds away from becoming the 15th player in school history with 600 career rebounds. She would be the 13th player in school history to achieve both milestones.
60 NCAA® men's and women's basketball student-athletes, who excel both on and off the court, were selected as candidates today for the 2021-22 Senior CLASS Award®.
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 men's and women's candidates will be narrowed to two fields of ten finalists later in the season, and those names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will then select one male candidate and one female candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four C's of community, classroom, character and competition.
The Senior CLASS Award winners will be announced during the 2022 NCAA Men's Final Four® and NCAA Women's Final Four® this spring.
For more information on the candidates, please visit www.seniorclassaward.com.
2021-22 Senior CLASS Award Men's Basketball Candidates
Alex Barcello, BYU
Ryan Hawkins, Creighton
Evan Battey, Colorado
ShanQuan Hemphill, Drake
Jules Bernard, UCLA
Myles Johnson, UCLA
Buddy Boeheim, Syracuse
Jarkel Joiner, Ole Miss
Eli Brooks, Michigan
Gavin Kensmil, Stephen F. Austin
Garrison Brooks, Mississippi State
Isaac Likekele, Oklahoma State
Brad Davison, Wisconsin
Kameron McGusty, Miami
Anthony Duruji, Florida
Alex Morales, Wagner
Trent Frazier, Illinois
Justyn Mutts, Virginia Tech
John Fulkerson, Tennessee
Austin Phyfe, Northern Iowa
Jacob Gilyard, Richmond
D'Shawn Schwartz, George Mason
Tanner Groves, Oklahoma
Eli Scott, Loyola Marymount
Tate Hall, Loyola Chicago
Sasha Stefanovic, Purdue
Ron Harper Jr., Rutgers
Hunter Tyson, Clemson
John Harrar, Penn State
Lucas Williamson, Loyola Chicago
2021-22 Senior CLASS Award Women's Basketball Candidates
Shakira Austin, Ole Miss
Tylee Irwin, South Dakota State
Katie Benzan, Maryland
Morgan Jones, Florida State
Grace Berger, Indiana
Dorka Juhász, UConn
Conley Chinn, Belmont
Lotta-Maj Lahtinen, Georgia Tech
Elissa Cunane, NC State
Jordan Lewis, Baylor
Andra Espinoza-Hunter, Seton Hall
Sonya Morris, DePaul
Dru Gylten, Utah
Olivia Nelson-Ododa, UConn
Gabi Haack, Bradley
Ali Patberg, Indiana
Sara Hamson, BYU
Aisha Sheppard, Virginia Tech
Lauren Heard, TCU
NaLyssa Smith, Baylor
Lexi Held, DePaul
Sam Thomas, Arizona
Destanni Henderson, South Carolina
Lauren Van Kleunen, Marquette
Naz Hillmon, Michigan
Abby Wahl, Eastern Illinois
Rhyne Howard, Kentucky
Christyn Williams, UConn
Lexie Hull, Stanford
Macee Williams, IUPUI
