Feb. 22, 2012
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By Andrew Jennette
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - UCF softball shortstop Natalie Land (Mayo, Fla.) was named a candidate on Thursday for the 2012 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. The Lowe's Senior CLASS Award stands for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School and focuses on the student-athlete as a whole. It encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
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; classroom, community, character and competition.
Land is a three-time member of the Conference USA Academic Honor Roll and a three-time C-USA All-Academic team member. She has a 3.75 cumulative grade-point-average with a major in athletic training and is scheduled to graduate in July. Land hopes to pursue a career in physical therapy after graduation.
This season, Land has started all nine games for the Knights, increasing her consecutive games started streak to 176. Land is currently fourth on the team with a .308 batting average while leading the team in runs scored. She also leads the team with four stolen bases and a 1.000 fielding percentage well as a perfect 14-for-14 on defensive chances. Land currently holds the sixth-highest career batting average in school history.
Land led the Knights in batting average (.346), runs (31), hits (54), doubles (7), triples (5), slugging percentage (.513), on-base percentage (.436), sacrifice hits (9) and stolen bases (25) as a junior in 2011.
Land is active in the community, and is an executive board member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. With this committee, she is in charge of planning community service events for all UCF student-athletes at various locations such as the Central Florida Children's Home and the Florida Hospital. She is also a member of Captain's Council, a leadership program designed to help student-athletes excel in athletics, academics and life. The program's focus is to foster the confidence necessary in becoming an outstanding leader on campus and in the community.
The other candidates for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award are Valerie Arioto of California, Gracie Barstad of Western Michigan, Emily Bledsoe of Texas Tech, Katelyn Boyd of Arizona State, Rachel Brown of Harvard, Ashley Burnham of James Madison, Molly Coldren of Central Michigan, Kacee Cox of St. John's, Mallory Duran-Sellers of Southern Illinois, Bree Evans of Michigan, Julie Fernandez of Lehigh, Michelle Fuzzard of Chattanooga, Chelsea Garcia of Oklahoma State, Molly Garst of Purdue, Ashley Guile of Nebraska, Ashley Hagemann of Nebraska, Ashley Hansen of Stanford, Shayla Jackson of Florida State, Brittany Mack of LSU, Ashley McClain of Florida International, Jen Mineau of Fordham, Adrienne Monka of Northwestern, Michelle Moultrie of Florida, Christi Orgeron of Louisiana, Cassie Reilly-Boccia of Alabama, Stephanie Ricketts of Hawai'I, Rachel Riley of Kentucky, Liz Watkins of Iowa and Niki Williams of Washington.