Oklahoma State University Athletics
Niemeier Candidate For Lowe's Award
August 18, 2010 | Cowgirl Soccer
Aug. 18, 2010
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Oklahoma State's Annika Niemeier is one of 30 candidates for the 2010 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award for women's soccer, it was announced today.
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. 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, character, community and competition.
“The nominations for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award for soccer are traditionally strong in community service and academic excellence,” said Tom Lamb, Lowe's senior vice president of marketing. “This year's candidate class reflects the strong sense of obligation these student-athletes have to their communities, their universities and their teammates, and we are proud to recognize them for their excellence.”
A native of Willingen-Usseln, Germany, Niemeier carries a 3.6 GPA in mechanical engineering and is a three-time Academic All-Big 12 First Team performer. She has twice been named NSCAA/adidas Scholar All-South Region, and in 2009 she was a third-team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 6 honoree.
A midfielder for the Cowgirls, Niemeier will serve as an OSU team captain this season as she tries to lead the team to its third-straight conference championship. She was named to the Preseason All-Big 12 team and is one of 45 players on the Hermann Trophy Watch List. As a junior, Niemeier led OSU with 11 goals and was named All-Big 12 First Team and second team All-Central Region by the NSCAA. She enters her final collegiate season in the top 10 all time at OSU in points (54), goals (20) and assists (14).
Niemeier serves the community through work with the YMCA and the American Red Cross, and she has participated in Celebrate Stillwater, which provides numerous services to youth and families in the community.
This marks the fourth year for the men's and women's soccer division of the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. OSU has had a candidate on the list in each of the last three years.
The list of 30 women's soccer candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will then be placed on the official ballot for a nationwide vote involving media, coaches and fans. The winner will be announced at the 2010 Women's College Cup in December.
More information on the 2010 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award can be found online at www.seniorclassaward.com.
