SAN JOSE, Calif. – San Jose State senior defender Kristen Amarikwa has been named one of 30 candidates from programs across the nation for the prestigious 2019 Senior CLASS Award for women's collegiate soccer. Amarikwa is the lone representative from the Mountain West.
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.
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.
Amarikwa certainly fits the billing as a worthy candidate for the award. As a health science major, she has accumulated an overall GPA of 3.294 and has put together back-to-back semesters with straight A's. The product of Bakersfield, California, also puts in numerous hours of community service, such as working with local elementary schools and volunteering with the South Bay Soccer Club Camp as a camp leader.
"Kristen absolutely deserves this recognition and nomination," Spartans' head coach Lauren Hanson said. "She is first class on and off the field with her play, leadership and character. In her four seasons here she has been a rock for our program and a phenomenal representative of SJSU, our athletic department and soccer team."
On the pitch, Amarikwa is one of the leaders of the Spartan women's soccer squad and has served as a team captain since the spring of her sophomore year. As the leader of the back line, she has been a driving force for one of the top defenses in the Mountain West and has helped the Spartans win both the Mountain West regular-season championship and the MW Tournament Championship.
During her time with the Spartans, Amarikwa has picked up multiple awards and has been one of the most consistent players in the conference. She is a two-time All-Mountain West selection as well as a two-time All-Region honoree.
"I was excited just to be considered for this award, but to be one of the 30 candidates chosen is a huge honor," Amarikwa said.
The women's soccer candidate class will be narrowed from 30 to 10 finalist midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot that will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to the media, coaches and fans.
The Senior CLASS Award winners will be announced during the 2019 NCAA Men's and Women's Soccer Cup Championships in December.
The full list of candidates can be found here.