Feb. 20, 2013

STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford short stop Jenna Rich has been named a top-30 candidate for the 2013 Senior CLASS Award, the organization announced today. 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.

Rich is a returning All-American and the starting short stop for the Cardinal this season. The El Segundo, Calif., native is a three-time All-Pac-12 pick and a two-time All-West Region first team selection. Two weeks in to the 2013 season, Rich leads the Pac-12 in walks (10) and ranks second in triples (2) and sixth in RBI (12).

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 2013 candidate class includes 15 candidates who have a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher. Six were named to the CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-American team, and seven were members of a National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-America team. Joining Rich from the Pac-12 Conference are California's Jolene Henderson and UCLA's B.B. Bates.

The candidate class will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 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 finalist who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition. The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2013 NCAA Women's College World Series® in Oklahoma City May 30 through June 5.