OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – A pair of Santa Clara women's soccer players were named candidates for the 2021 Senior CLASS Award. Seniors Kelsey Turnbow and Alex Loera were among 30 women's soccer players to make the list. Thirty men's players were also named.

To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior or graduate-student and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character, and competition. The complete list of candidates follows this release.

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.

Each of the 60 candidates has displayed a strong work ethic in the classroom and on the pitch. Outside of academics and athletics, all candidates have also been consistently involved in community service on their campus or in their communities.

Turnbow has racked-up the accolades with the Broncos. She was the 2020 College Cup Offensive Most Outstanding Player as Santa Clara won its second National Championship in addition to Third Team All-America honors. Turnbow was also the Top Drawer Soccer Player of the Year. She is a four-time All-West Region first team selection and a three-time All-WCC first team pick. She was the WCC Freshman of the year in 2017.

A team captain that helped lead the team through COVID restrictions, Turnbow is a two-time WCC All-Academic honorable mention pick and has worked with the Bay Area Women's Sports Initiative (BAWSI).

The 2020 Honda Award winner, Loera was Second Team All-America last season. She was the College Cup Defensive Most Outstanding Player and a member of the Top Drawer Soccer Best XI first team along with Turnbow. A three-time First Team All-West Region selection, she is the two-time WCC Defensive Player of the Year and four-time First Team All-WCC pick.

Loera is also a team captain that helped guide the Broncos through COVID and to the National Championship and has worked with BAWSI.

Each of the two candidate classes will be narrowed to 10 finalists later in the season, and those 10 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 male candidate and one female candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character, and competition.

The Senior CLASS Award winners will be announced during the 2021 NCAA Men's and Women's College Cup championships in December.

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

Connect with the Broncos on Social Media
Athletics: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Snapchat
Women's Soccer: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Snapchat