Athletics

Lady Lion Maggie Lucas named Senior CLASS finalist

Defending Big Ten Player of the Year Maggie Lucas Credit: GoPSUsports.comAll Rights Reserved.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State Lady Lion senior guard Maggie Lucas (Narberth, Pa.) has been selected as one of the 10 finalists for the 2013-14 Senior CLASS Award, given to the student-athletes that have notable achievements in four areas of excellence - community, classroom, character and competition. Fan voting is now open and will run through March 24 on seniorclassaward.com.

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 finalists were chosen by national media from the list of 30 men's candidates and 30 women's candidates announced in October. Nationwide fan voting begins immediately to help select the winner. Fans are encouraged to vote on the Senior CLASS Award website through March 24. Fan votes will be combined with media and Division I head coaches' votes to determine the winners. The Senior CLASS Award winners will be announced during the 2014 NCAA Men's Final Four and NCAA Women's Final Four.

On the court, Lucas is close out one of the best careers in Lady Lion and Big Ten history. She is second in school history in fifth in Big Ten history in career scoring with 2,322 points. She is also tops in both program and conference history in career free throw percentage with a .906 mark, which is tied for seventh in NCAA history. This season, Lucas is second in the Big Ten in scoring (21.0) and has 13 games with 20 or more points on the year. She leads the nation in free throw percentage with a .964 effort, which is on pace to break the NCAA single-season record. As a junior, Lucas was the Big Ten Player of the Year, a Wade Trophy Finalist, a Wooden Award Finalist, a USBWA All-America, an Associated Press All-America second team, a Full Court Press All-America second team and WBCA All-America honorable mention.

Off the court, Lucas has been involved in several community service projects in her time at Penn State. Among her community service experiences, Lucas has painted houses as part of the United Way Day of Caring, volunteered at local elementary schools and the YMCA, worked our annual Special Olympics Basketball Clinic, helped at several local organizations, including Pets Come First and the State College Area Food Bank. Lucas and the Lady Lions are also very active in the Pink Zone (Play 4 Kay) initiative to raise money for breast cancer awareness and research. In six Pink Zone events, the Lady Lions have donated more than $825,000 to breast cancer causes and Lucas has been played a roll in helping to raise funds by attending various fundraising events (Hoop Shoot, Little Black Dress Goes Pink, etc.).

In the classroom, Lucas is a Recreation, Park and Tourism Management major and was an Academic All-Big Ten selection in 2012. She is interning in the events/public relations office at the Bryce Jordan Center in the spring semester.

The Senior CLASS Award winners will be announced during the 2014 NCAA Men's Final Four and NCAA Women's Final Four.

For more information on all the candidates, visit seniorCLASSaward.com.

The 2014 Pink Zone at Penn State will take place on Sunday, Feb. 16 as the Lady Lions take on Wisconsin in the Bryce Jordan Center at 1 p.m. $4 of every single-game ticket sold will go directly to Pink Zone. There will be a silent auction on the concourse and postgame jersey auction of the Lions' game-worn jerseys. Last year, the Lady Lions donated a record $260,000 to breast cancer causes. This year's fundraising efforts will benefit the Mount Nittany Medical Center, Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition, the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, J.C. Blair Memorial Hospital and Lewistown Hospital. For more information on the Pink Zone at Penn State, visit the official Pink Zone website at www.pennsylvaniapinkzone.org.

Lady Lion Basketball single-game tickets are available by calling 1-800-NITTANY. Single-game tickets are $15 and $12 for adults and seniors and $9 and $7 for youth (12 and younger). The PNC Flex Books are available again this year for $99. The Flex Book gives fans 12 vouchers, 10 that can be redeemed in any combination for Nittany Lion and Lady Lion Basketball tickets throughout the year and two extra vouchers for the Nittany Lions' Coaches Vs. Cancer game and the Lady Lions' Pink Zone game.

For the 15th time, Penn State will host the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament First and Second Rounds on March 23 and 25, 2014. All-session tickets are $30 for adults and $17 for youth and students. There is also an all-session group rate for groups of 20 or more of any age at $20 per package. Fans can purchase tickets by calling 1-800-NITTANY or visiting the Penn State athletics ticket office between the hours of 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

The Lady Lions are on Twitter. Follow sports information contact Kris Petersen (@ladylionsid) and the Lady Lions and coaches (@pennstatewbb) to get the inside scoop. The Lady Lions are also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pennstateladylions.

2013-14 Senior CLASS Women's Basketball FinalistsHeather Butler, Tennessee-MartinHallie Christofferson, Iowa StateJerica Coley, Florida InternationalStefanie Dolson, ConnecticutJordan Hooper, NebraskaNatasha Howard, Florida StateMaggie Lucas, PENN STATEChiney Ogwumike, StanfordHaley Peters, DukeOdyssey Sims, Baylor  

Last Updated February 13, 2014

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