University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Vannatta Named Candidate for the 2017-18 Senior CLASS Award
01.04.2018 | Men's Basketball
Official Release
Vannatta's Senior CLASS Award® Profile
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – UNC Asheville senior guard Kevin Vannatta has been selected as a candidate for the 2017-18 Senior CLASS Award® in men's collegiate basketball.
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.
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.
"We are very proud of what Kevin has been able to accomplish, both on and off the court, during his time here at UNC Asheville," UNC Asheville men's basketball head coach Nick McDevitt said. "To be part of a list of candidates that includes individuals such as Grayson Allen of Duke and Joel Berry II of North Carolina, speaks to the hard work that he has put forth on and off the court."
Vannatta enters the final semester of his senior season with the Bulldogs owning a 3.93 grade-point average as an Accounting major.
Vannatta also represents UNC Asheville and the Big South Conference on the NCAA Division I National Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
Vannatta was named to the 2016-17 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District® 3 Men's Basketball first-team in addition to being tabbed as a DI-AAA ADA Scholar-Athlete last season.
A 2017-18 preseason All-Big South Conference selection, Vannatta scored eight points in UNC Asheville's win over Wofford on Sunday, Nov. 26, to become the 33rd member of the prestigious 1,000-point club at UNC Asheville and the 149th in Big South history to accomplish the feat. Vannatta currently has 1,088 career points as a Bulldog.
In UNC Asheville's 15 games so far in the 2017-18 season, Vannatta is averaging 11.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.9 rebounds per game.
Among the 60 candidates in men's and women's basketball, all are in excellent academic standing with 14 having grade-point averages of 3.5 or higher. Eight of this year's candidates were 2016-17 CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-Americans®, and seven returned to the court this season after receiving All-America honors for their performances a year ago. Each of the candidates also volunteers his or her time with charitable organizations and causes while upholding a reputation for positive character on campus and in the community.
Each of the 30 candidate classes will be narrowed to fields of 10 finalists in February, 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 male candidate and one female candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.
The Senior CLASS Award winners will be announced during the 2018 NCAA Men's Final Four® and NCAA Women's Final Four® this spring. For more information on each of the candidates, visit seniorCLASSaward.com.
To learn more about UNC Asheville men's basketball, please visit uncabulldogs.com.
Vannatta's Senior CLASS Award® Profile
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – UNC Asheville senior guard Kevin Vannatta has been selected as a candidate for the 2017-18 Senior CLASS Award® in men's collegiate basketball.
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.
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.
"We are very proud of what Kevin has been able to accomplish, both on and off the court, during his time here at UNC Asheville," UNC Asheville men's basketball head coach Nick McDevitt said. "To be part of a list of candidates that includes individuals such as Grayson Allen of Duke and Joel Berry II of North Carolina, speaks to the hard work that he has put forth on and off the court."
Vannatta enters the final semester of his senior season with the Bulldogs owning a 3.93 grade-point average as an Accounting major.
Vannatta also represents UNC Asheville and the Big South Conference on the NCAA Division I National Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
Vannatta was named to the 2016-17 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District® 3 Men's Basketball first-team in addition to being tabbed as a DI-AAA ADA Scholar-Athlete last season.
A 2017-18 preseason All-Big South Conference selection, Vannatta scored eight points in UNC Asheville's win over Wofford on Sunday, Nov. 26, to become the 33rd member of the prestigious 1,000-point club at UNC Asheville and the 149th in Big South history to accomplish the feat. Vannatta currently has 1,088 career points as a Bulldog.
In UNC Asheville's 15 games so far in the 2017-18 season, Vannatta is averaging 11.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.9 rebounds per game.
Among the 60 candidates in men's and women's basketball, all are in excellent academic standing with 14 having grade-point averages of 3.5 or higher. Eight of this year's candidates were 2016-17 CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-Americans®, and seven returned to the court this season after receiving All-America honors for their performances a year ago. Each of the candidates also volunteers his or her time with charitable organizations and causes while upholding a reputation for positive character on campus and in the community.
Each of the 30 candidate classes will be narrowed to fields of 10 finalists in February, 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 male candidate and one female candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.
The Senior CLASS Award winners will be announced during the 2018 NCAA Men's Final Four® and NCAA Women's Final Four® this spring. For more information on each of the candidates, visit seniorCLASSaward.com.
To learn more about UNC Asheville men's basketball, please visit uncabulldogs.com.
Players Mentioned
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