Smith Named As Senior Class Award Candidate

OVERLAND PARK, Kansas - California fifth-year player Emily Smith has been named as one of 30 candidates for the women's soccer 2021 Senior CLASS Award.
 
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.
 
Smith has stood out amongst her peers, being named the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year during the 2020 season. She was also a CoSida Academic All-American and has been named to the CoSida Academic All-District Team on three occasions. She has earned a spot on the Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll in three consecutive seasons while majoring in applied mathematics.
 
Smith is in her fourth season as a team captain for the Bears and she has been named to the Pac-12 All-Conference team three times, including a first team selection in 2019. The center back has helped Cal boast one of the top defenses in the country over the past couple years.
 
CLASS is 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. 
 
10 finalists will be named 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 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.