University of Minnesota Athletics
Players Mentioned
Setter
/ Volleyball
Seliger-Swenson Finalist for Senior CLASS Award
10/2/2018 10:43:00 AM | Volleyball
Senior setter Samantha Seliger-Swenson (Minnetonka, Minn.) has been named one of 30 finalists for the Senior CLASS award, announced earlier this week. The award highlights athletes who excel both on and off the court.
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.
Seliger-Swenson is the first Golden Gopher to land a finalist spot in two years. Hannah Tapp and Paige Tapp were also finalists, while Paige was the University of Minnesota's first and only recipient to win the award in 2016.
Seliger-Swenson, a 5-foot, 11-inch setter, received her third-straight All-America award in 2017. She currently ranks first nationally with 4,855 career assists and averages 11.81 assists per set. As a senior, Seliger-Swenson has guided the Gophers to a .300 hitting clip and a 10-2 record this season. Along with her three All-America honors, she has also been named a three-time All-Big Ten selection, the 2016 Big Ten Setter of the Year and the 2015 Freshman of the Year. Off the court, the business and marketing education major is set to graduate this year. She has also participated in a variety of community service activities including visits to Masonic Children's Hospital, volunteering with the HopeKids organization and ACR Homes.
The 30 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, coaches and fans, who will select one candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition. The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2018 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship in December. For more information on all the candidates, visit seniorCLASSaward.com.
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.
Seliger-Swenson is the first Golden Gopher to land a finalist spot in two years. Hannah Tapp and Paige Tapp were also finalists, while Paige was the University of Minnesota's first and only recipient to win the award in 2016.
Seliger-Swenson, a 5-foot, 11-inch setter, received her third-straight All-America award in 2017. She currently ranks first nationally with 4,855 career assists and averages 11.81 assists per set. As a senior, Seliger-Swenson has guided the Gophers to a .300 hitting clip and a 10-2 record this season. Along with her three All-America honors, she has also been named a three-time All-Big Ten selection, the 2016 Big Ten Setter of the Year and the 2015 Freshman of the Year. Off the court, the business and marketing education major is set to graduate this year. She has also participated in a variety of community service activities including visits to Masonic Children's Hospital, volunteering with the HopeKids organization and ACR Homes.
The 30 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, coaches and fans, who will select one candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition. The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2018 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship in December. For more information on all the candidates, visit seniorCLASSaward.com.
2025 Season Recap
Tuesday, January 27
Best of Julia Hanson
Monday, December 22
Gophers Preview NCAA Sweet Sixteen
Tuesday, December 09
Cinematic Recap: Gophers Reach Sweet Sixteen
Tuesday, December 09