April 5, 2008

University of Dayton senior guard Brian Roberts has been named to the Second Team of the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, it was announced today. The award - presented annually to the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete of the Year in eight sports - focuses on the "Four C's" of classroom, character, community and competition.

Vanderbilt guard and SEC Player of the Year Shan Foster was named the CLASS Student-Athlete of the Year. Joining Foster on the first team were Georgetown's Roy Hibberd, Tennessee's Chris Lofton, Michigan State's Drew Neitzel and Duke's DeMarcus Nelson.

The second team consisted of Roberts, Utah State's Jaycee Carroll, Butler's A.J. Graves, Virginia's Sean Singletary and Ball State's Peyton Stovall.

Roberts led the UD men to a 23-11 record and a quarterfinal appearance in the NIT. He led Dayton in scoring (18.4), three-pointers (100-220, .455), free throws (111-129, .860) and minutes (34.7). Roberts ended his career in the UD Top Ten in 10 statistical categories, including #1 in three-pointers made (293) and 3-pt. FG% (.441, 293-665). He was a three-time All-Atlantic 10 selection, and was a finalist for the Wooden, Naismith and Cousy Awards, in addition to the Lowes Senior CLASS Award.

Now in its seventh year for basketball, the award has developed into the nation's premier tribute for college seniors. After originating with basketball, Lowe's has expanded the award to include a total of eight NCAA sports.

The award was conceived by sportscaster Dick Enberg, who continues to serve as Honorary Chairman. It was inspired by the remarkable story of former Duke University basketball player Shane Battier, who could have been an NBA lottery pick but returned to college for his senior season and led the Blue Devils to the National Championship in 2001.

Previous winners of the men's award include Juan Dixon of Maryland (2002), David West of Xavier (2003), Jameer Nelson of St. Joseph's (2004), Wayne Simien of Kansas (2005), J.J. Reddick of Duke (2006) and Alando Tucker of Wisconsin (2007).