OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Saint Joseph's senior goalkeeper T.J. Jones and senior defensemen Charles Giunta and Shane Taggert have been selected as candidates for the 2017 Senior CLASS Award in collegiate men's lacrosse, it was announced on Thursday afternoon. Twenty of the top NCAA men's lacrosse student-athletes who excel both on and off the field were selected as candidates today.
Saint Joseph's leads all NCAA Division I men's lacrosse programs with three candidates selected.
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.
Jones, a 2017 Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-American Honorable Mention selection, is a business intelligence and analytics major out of Basking Ridge, N.J. All of Jones' achievements in the areas of community, classroom, character, and competition can be found in his Senior CLASS Award biography.
Giunta, a marketing major out of Philadelphia, intends to become a head men's lacrosse coach at a Division I university following graduation. All of Giunta's achievements in the areas of community, classroom, character, and competition can be found in his Senior CLASS Award biography.
An interdisciplinary health services major and business minor out of Stockton, N.J., Taggert is one of the most vocal and outgoing leaders on the squad. All of Taggert's achievements in the areas of community, classroom, character, and competition can be found in his Senior CLASS Award biography.
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.
The 20 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists later in the 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 in conjunction with the 2017 NCAA Men's Lacrosse National Championship in May.
COMPLETE LIST OF CANDIDATES
Alexander Bohl, Robert Morris
Christian Burgdorf, Denver
Connor Cannizzaro, Denver
Christian Carson-Banister, Boston
Isaiah Davis-Allen, Maryland
Andy DeMichiei, Marquette
Scott Firman, Syracuse
Charles Giunta, Saint Joseph's
T.J. Jones, Saint Joseph's
Jake Knostman, Fairfield
Michael LeClair, High Point
Dylan Molloy, Brown
Kyle Mummau, Bryant
Sergio Perkovic, Notre Dame
Austin Pifani, North Carolina
J.D. Recor, Marist
Eric Scott, Yale
Shane Taggert, Saint Joseph's
Cody Triolo, Lehigh
Tommy Voelkel, Hofstra
