Held and Morris Among Finalists for Prestigious Senior CLASS Award
12/7/2021 11:37:00 AM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Award committee will announce top 10 candidates in February
CHICAGO – At the same time DePaul became the top-scoring team in the country, Sonya Morris and Lexi Held were named among the 30 finalists nationwide for the prestigious Senior CLASS Award.
The award committee will select 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award in February. Those 10 names will then be placed on the official ballot for a nationwide vote. Fan balloting will be coupled with votes from coaches and media to determine the recipient of the award.
DePaul is one of only four schools with multiple candidates. Connecticut has three finalists while Baylor and Indiana each have two.Â
Both All-BIG EAST guards rated highly in the evaluation of the selection committee based on their athletic and academic accomplishments along with a genuine passion for community service and caring for the less fortunate.
Morris is averaging 16.2 points a game and is considered among the top shooting guards in the country. She was a Top 10 finalist last season for the prestigious Ann Meyers-Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year Award and is listed on the 20-player Watch List this season.
She is an explosive scorer, consistently ripping off game-changing runs of 10 or more points in a row. In a 91-74 victory over Vanderbilt at the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Morris scored a career-high 36 points. That is the most by a BIG EAST player this season.
The two-time All-BIG EAST selection is equally deadly spotting up for an open three-pointer or driving to the rim hard only to suddenly pull up and bury a step-back jumper. Every game last season, opposing coaches game-planned their defensive strategy around stopping Morris and classmate Lexi Held. Morris reached the 1,000-point career mark halfway through her junior year.
She was selected to the 2020-21 Athletics Directors Association National Scholar-Athlete Team after posting a 3.482 GPA majoring in Sociology.
Morris is described as having an inner sensitivity that allows her to easily empathize with the problems and issues of others including her teammates and friends.
She is a cold-blooded assassin on the court and a soft-hearted, compassionate soul off the court. Sonya is a respected team leader both vocally and in her actions while exemplifying coach Doug Bruno's mantra to play fearless. She was downright defiant scoring a then-career high 29 points as a sophomore against an Oregon State team that would later advance to the NCAA Elite Eight.
Actively engaged in helping the less fortunate and the underserved, Sonya has volunteered for Special Olympics sports clinics, Special Olympics All-Sports Day, the Special Olympics 50th anniversary celebration and Day of Inclusion at Soldier Field.
She has also cooked food at the Sheffield Garden Walk to raise funds for St. Vincent de Paul, worked the Misericordia Home candy drive, the Chicago Park District Fitness Fest for underprivileged children, Hoops in the Hood and St. Vincent de Paul Service Day. For four years, Campbell has made blankets for underprivileged children at the St. Vincent de Paul Day Care Center and has also worked as a Chicago Marathon volunteer.
Her running mate and fellow senior Held is a two-time candidate for the coveted Naismith Trophy Award and a two-time, All-BIG EAST First Team selection. She was the 2020 BIG EAST Tournament MVP after leading DePaul to an 88-74 victory over Marquette by scoring a career-high 31 points on 10-of-14 shooting including 5-of-6 from deep.
Held was among the BIG EAST's leading scorers at 16.6 points a game last season and was No. 5 in the nation in steals with 75. This season she is averaging 13.3 points a game and leads the BIG EAST in assists.
She spearheaded the vaunted DePaul full-court press that was No. 8 in the country last season forcing turnovers at more than 22 per game. Like Morris, she also became a 1,000-point scorer halfway through her junior season and finished in double figures in every game but one (nine points vs. No. 1 Connecticut).
Held was the 2020-21 BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete of the Year for women's basketball after posting a 3.615 GPA majoring in marketing. Combined with her selection as All-BIG EAST First Team, she was the choice. Also won the BIG EAST Sport Excellence Award, CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team and NACDA Scholar-Athlete Team.
She goes out of her way to help others and routinely puts the needs of others ahead of her own. Lexi is a soft-spoken young lady whose understated and subtle sense of humor can leave her teammates in stitches. She leads by example, silently signaling to her fellow Blue Demons to simply follow her actions.
A huge part of her character is the courage to take on the greatest burden under maximum pressure, and she has ice water running through her veins during crunch time. She is expression-less whether making a game-winning shot or committing a costly turnover. Something within Lexi allows her to remain on an even keel even in the midst of pandemonium.
The abovementioned high character draws her close to improving the human condition of others. She has volunteered for Special Olympics sports clinics, Special Olympics All-Sports Day, the Special Olympics 50th anniversary celebration and Day of Inclusion at Soldier Field.
She has also worked at the Sheffield Garden Walk to raise funds for St. Vincent de Paul, worked the Misericordia Home candy drive, the Chicago Park District Fitness Fest for underprivileged children, Hoops in the Hood and St. Vincent de Paul Service Day. For four years, Lexi has made blankets for underprivileged children at the St. Vincent de Paul Day Care Center and has worked as a Chicago Marathon volunteer.
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The award committee will select 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award in February. Those 10 names will then be placed on the official ballot for a nationwide vote. Fan balloting will be coupled with votes from coaches and media to determine the recipient of the award.
DePaul is one of only four schools with multiple candidates. Connecticut has three finalists while Baylor and Indiana each have two.Â
Both All-BIG EAST guards rated highly in the evaluation of the selection committee based on their athletic and academic accomplishments along with a genuine passion for community service and caring for the less fortunate.
Morris is averaging 16.2 points a game and is considered among the top shooting guards in the country. She was a Top 10 finalist last season for the prestigious Ann Meyers-Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year Award and is listed on the 20-player Watch List this season.
She is an explosive scorer, consistently ripping off game-changing runs of 10 or more points in a row. In a 91-74 victory over Vanderbilt at the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Morris scored a career-high 36 points. That is the most by a BIG EAST player this season.
The two-time All-BIG EAST selection is equally deadly spotting up for an open three-pointer or driving to the rim hard only to suddenly pull up and bury a step-back jumper. Every game last season, opposing coaches game-planned their defensive strategy around stopping Morris and classmate Lexi Held. Morris reached the 1,000-point career mark halfway through her junior year.
She was selected to the 2020-21 Athletics Directors Association National Scholar-Athlete Team after posting a 3.482 GPA majoring in Sociology.
Morris is described as having an inner sensitivity that allows her to easily empathize with the problems and issues of others including her teammates and friends.
She is a cold-blooded assassin on the court and a soft-hearted, compassionate soul off the court. Sonya is a respected team leader both vocally and in her actions while exemplifying coach Doug Bruno's mantra to play fearless. She was downright defiant scoring a then-career high 29 points as a sophomore against an Oregon State team that would later advance to the NCAA Elite Eight.
Actively engaged in helping the less fortunate and the underserved, Sonya has volunteered for Special Olympics sports clinics, Special Olympics All-Sports Day, the Special Olympics 50th anniversary celebration and Day of Inclusion at Soldier Field.
She has also cooked food at the Sheffield Garden Walk to raise funds for St. Vincent de Paul, worked the Misericordia Home candy drive, the Chicago Park District Fitness Fest for underprivileged children, Hoops in the Hood and St. Vincent de Paul Service Day. For four years, Campbell has made blankets for underprivileged children at the St. Vincent de Paul Day Care Center and has also worked as a Chicago Marathon volunteer.
Her running mate and fellow senior Held is a two-time candidate for the coveted Naismith Trophy Award and a two-time, All-BIG EAST First Team selection. She was the 2020 BIG EAST Tournament MVP after leading DePaul to an 88-74 victory over Marquette by scoring a career-high 31 points on 10-of-14 shooting including 5-of-6 from deep.
Held was among the BIG EAST's leading scorers at 16.6 points a game last season and was No. 5 in the nation in steals with 75. This season she is averaging 13.3 points a game and leads the BIG EAST in assists.
She spearheaded the vaunted DePaul full-court press that was No. 8 in the country last season forcing turnovers at more than 22 per game. Like Morris, she also became a 1,000-point scorer halfway through her junior season and finished in double figures in every game but one (nine points vs. No. 1 Connecticut).
Held was the 2020-21 BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete of the Year for women's basketball after posting a 3.615 GPA majoring in marketing. Combined with her selection as All-BIG EAST First Team, she was the choice. Also won the BIG EAST Sport Excellence Award, CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team and NACDA Scholar-Athlete Team.
She goes out of her way to help others and routinely puts the needs of others ahead of her own. Lexi is a soft-spoken young lady whose understated and subtle sense of humor can leave her teammates in stitches. She leads by example, silently signaling to her fellow Blue Demons to simply follow her actions.
A huge part of her character is the courage to take on the greatest burden under maximum pressure, and she has ice water running through her veins during crunch time. She is expression-less whether making a game-winning shot or committing a costly turnover. Something within Lexi allows her to remain on an even keel even in the midst of pandemonium.
The abovementioned high character draws her close to improving the human condition of others. She has volunteered for Special Olympics sports clinics, Special Olympics All-Sports Day, the Special Olympics 50th anniversary celebration and Day of Inclusion at Soldier Field.
She has also worked at the Sheffield Garden Walk to raise funds for St. Vincent de Paul, worked the Misericordia Home candy drive, the Chicago Park District Fitness Fest for underprivileged children, Hoops in the Hood and St. Vincent de Paul Service Day. For four years, Lexi has made blankets for underprivileged children at the St. Vincent de Paul Day Care Center and has worked as a Chicago Marathon volunteer.
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Players Mentioned
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