Oct. 31, 2012

BERKELEY - California senior guard Layshia Clarendon has been selected as one of 30 candidates for the 2012-13 Senior CLASS Award for women's basketball, presented annually in eight NCAA Division 1 Sports to a senior student-athlete who excels both on and off the field. Candidates are chosen based on their dedication and achievement in four areas: Classroom, Character, Community and Competition.

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. Clarendon was the only women's student-athlete from the Pac-12 to be named a candidate for the collegiate basketball award.

"This national recognition for Layshia highlights what her coaches and teammates see every day: she's a student-athlete that gives everything of herself both on the court and in the classroom," Gottlieb said. "She's not only talented, but hard working and giving. As is characteristic of true leaders, Layshia looks to serve those around her. She's an asset to our team, the Cal campus and the entire Berkeley community."

From the list of 30 candidates, 10 finalists will be selected midway through the regular season and placed on the official ballot for a nationwide vote. Fan balloting will be coupled with votes from coaches and media to determine the recipient of the award. Winners will be announced during the 2013 NCAA Women's Final Four in New Orleans, April 7-9.

Clarendon helped lead California to an NCAA Second Round berth and Pac-12 runner-up finish last season in addition to being named a WBCA All-American for the first time in her career. The All-Region VIII honoree was also named to the All-Pac-12 first team, averaging 12.8 ppg. After scoring 20 points in the conference final against Stanford, she was also named to the All-Pac-12 Tournament team. Clarendon will head into the 2012-13 campaign 138 points shy of being in the top-10 in program history in career points scored (1,230).

Clarendon has twice earned All-Academic honors from the conference and is on track to graduate in May 2013 with a major in American Studies with a concentration on Gender and Media at the No. 1 public institution in the country. The senior led the California women's basketball team in grade-point average last spring and has become the team's leader by voice and by example.

Click here for Clarendon's full Senoir CLASS Award profile.