DePaul University Athletics
Grays Selected as Candidate for Senior CLASS Award
11/30/2018 2:38:00 PM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
DePaul forward among 30 women's basketball players chosen nationwide
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – No. 16/14 DePaul's Mart'e Grays is among the 30 NCAA women's basketball student-athletes who excel both on and off the court that were selected Friday as candidates for the 2018-19 Senior CLASS Award® in 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.
Grays led DePaul in scoring and averaged more than 15 points a game in conference play last season. She went on to earn All-BIG EAST First Team honors and led the Blue Demons to their fifth consecutive BIG EAST regular-season title, third conference crown in the last five years and to their 16th-straight appearance in the NCAA tournament.
She began the 2018-19 season being one of only 20 players in the country selected for the prestigious Cheryl Miller Small Forward Award presented by the Naismith Hall of Fame and was named to the 2018-19 Preseason All-BIG EAST Team.
Grays is an excellent student with a 3.345 GPA. Last season, she was selected to the Athletic Directors Association national Scholar-Athlete team. She is a two-time member of the BIG EAST All-Academic Team and a two-time recipient of the Shirley Becker Academic Award.
She is the kind of student-athlete who places the needs of her teammates above her own and helps them to realize their potential on and off the court.
It's that quality of helping others that has led Grays to actively participate in a wide range of community-service initiatives and projects including the DemonTHON charity dance marathon, Misericordia children's home Candy Days, Seton Soup Kitchen, motivational talks to elementary school students, St. Vincent de Paul Center Toy Drive, making blankets for the preschoolers at St. Vincent de Paul Center, WBCA Service Day working at a kids' after-school program, Special Olympics volunteer, Chicago Park District Fitness in the Park event, work food booth at the Sheffield Garden Walk.
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.
Among the 60 total candidates for men's and women's basketball, all are in excellent academic standing with 13 having grade-point averages of 3.5 or higher. Twenty-five athletes are returning to the court this season after receiving All-America honors, and 54 of the candidates earned all-conference 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.
The men's and women's candidates will be narrowed to two fields of 10 finalists in February, 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 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 2019 NCAA Men's Final Four® and NCAA Women's Final Four® this spring. For more information on each of the candidates, visit seniorCLASSaward.com.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL 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.
Grays led DePaul in scoring and averaged more than 15 points a game in conference play last season. She went on to earn All-BIG EAST First Team honors and led the Blue Demons to their fifth consecutive BIG EAST regular-season title, third conference crown in the last five years and to their 16th-straight appearance in the NCAA tournament.
She began the 2018-19 season being one of only 20 players in the country selected for the prestigious Cheryl Miller Small Forward Award presented by the Naismith Hall of Fame and was named to the 2018-19 Preseason All-BIG EAST Team.
Grays is an excellent student with a 3.345 GPA. Last season, she was selected to the Athletic Directors Association national Scholar-Athlete team. She is a two-time member of the BIG EAST All-Academic Team and a two-time recipient of the Shirley Becker Academic Award.
She is the kind of student-athlete who places the needs of her teammates above her own and helps them to realize their potential on and off the court.
It's that quality of helping others that has led Grays to actively participate in a wide range of community-service initiatives and projects including the DemonTHON charity dance marathon, Misericordia children's home Candy Days, Seton Soup Kitchen, motivational talks to elementary school students, St. Vincent de Paul Center Toy Drive, making blankets for the preschoolers at St. Vincent de Paul Center, WBCA Service Day working at a kids' after-school program, Special Olympics volunteer, Chicago Park District Fitness in the Park event, work food booth at the Sheffield Garden Walk.
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.
Among the 60 total candidates for men's and women's basketball, all are in excellent academic standing with 13 having grade-point averages of 3.5 or higher. Twenty-five athletes are returning to the court this season after receiving All-America honors, and 54 of the candidates earned all-conference 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.
The men's and women's candidates will be narrowed to two fields of 10 finalists in February, 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 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 2019 NCAA Men's Final Four® and NCAA Women's Final Four® this spring. For more information on each of the candidates, visit seniorCLASSaward.com.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CANDIDATES:
| Kristine Anigwe | Cal Berkeley | Megan Huff | Utah |
| Allison Arens | South Dakota | Paris Kea | North Carolina |
| Sammie Bachrodt | Drake | Jessica Kovatch | Saint Francis |
| Cassidy Barrios | Nicholls State | Deanna Kuzmanic | Alabama |
| Allazia Blockton | Marquette | Kitija Laksa | South Florida |
| Bianca Boggs | William & Mary | Kennedy Leonard | Colorado |
| Kalani Brown | Baylor | Teaira McCowan | Mississippi State |
| KeKe Calloway | Mercer | Macy Miller | South Dakota State |
| Bridget Carleton | Iowa State | Teniya Page | Penn State |
| Napheesa Collier | Connecticut | Katie Powell | UNLV |
| Sophie Cunningham | Missouri | Tori Schickel | Butler |
| Asia Durr | Louisville | Alanna Smith | Stanford |
| Mart'e Grays | DePaul | Hallie Thome | Michigan |
| Megan Gustafson | Iowa | Brianna Turner | Notre Dame |
| Presley Hudson | Central Michigan | Courtney Woods | Northern Illinois |
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ WOMEN'S BASKETBALLDePaul Women's Basketball vs. Providence Game Highlights - 3.6.26
Friday, March 06
DePaul Women's Basketball at Georgetown Game Highlights - 3.1.26
Monday, March 02
DePaul Women’s Basketball vs. Butler Postgame Press Conference.
Thursday, February 26
DePaul Women’s Basketball Game Highlights vs. Butler - 02.25.26
Thursday, February 26