NDSU forward Abby Plucker is among 60 NCAA men’s and women’s basketball student-athletes selected as candidates for the 2011-12 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award. 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.

Plucker is a senior from Parker, S.D., who is majoring in dietetics. She was a 2011 first team All-Summit League honoree. An alternate for the U.S. 2011 Pan American Games team, she has served as The Summit League Student-Athlete Advisory Council vice president and the NDSU advisory council president and vice president. Plucker was a 2011 CoSIDA Academic All-District third team selection and a three-time Summit League All-Academic team and Commissioner's List of Academic Excellence award winner.

Plucker, a recipient of the Blue Key Honor Society Prairie Rose scholarship, is also a member of the Student Dietetic Association and Government Relations in Intercollegiate Affairs.

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 60 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists in both men’s and women’s basketball midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Lowe’s will announce the women’s award winner during the NCAA Women’s Final Four, which will be held April 1 and 3 in Denver.