Friday, November 04, 2011

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - - Belmont University men's basketball senior forward Mick Hedgepeth (Crossville, Ala.) has been selected as one of 30 men's basketball candidates for the 2011-12 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, released Friday.

Hedgepeth, who was named to the Lou Henson Preseason All-America Team earlier this week, helped lead Belmont to a 30-5 record and the program's fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in six years in 2010-11.

The 6-9 forward is on pace to rank among Belmont's NCAA era career leaders in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage and blocked shots.

Off the court, Hedgepeth holds a 3.71 grade-point average in his chosen major of accounting. Last season, he was named 2010-11 National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Men's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year and was named Capital One/CoSIDA First Team Academic All-District.

The Crossville, Ala. native is active in volunteerism, mentoring and participation in Belmont University's Sport Evangelism Mission Trips overseas.

Hedgepeth is the fifth Belmont University student-athlete – and third men's basketball player – to receive recognition from the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, joining Cyrus Eaton, Justin Hare, Andy Wicke, and Nate Woods.

To be eligible for the Lowe's Senior CLASS 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 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 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 media, Division I men's basketball coaches and fans who will select one finalist who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.