Liz Shimek Named CLASS Award Finalist

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State senior forward Liz Shimek (Empire, Mich.) has been named one of 10 finalists for the Bayer Advantage Senior CLASS Award, which is presented to the outstanding senior player of the year. The Senior CLASS Award celebrates the loyalty of senior basketball players that honor their four-year commitment to their university. The acronym "CLASS" stands for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School. Fans can vote for Shimek and fellow Michigan State men's basketball star Maurice Ager, who was named a finalist earlier this month,
at www.seniorclassaward.com.

Shimek is joined on the list by Ann Strother (Connecticut), Barbara Turner (Connecticut), Candice Dupree (Temple), Cappie Pondexter (Rutgers), LaToya Davis (Texas Tech), Megan Duffy (Notre Dame), Monique Currie (Duke), Seimone Augustus (LSU) and Sophia Young (Baylor).

Shimek, a first-team All-Big Ten selection, is third in the league in scoring (17.8 ppg) and second in rebounding (8.3 pg). Her outstanding senior season has placed her on many national player of the year watch lists, including the Wooden Award, the Naismith Award and the Wade Trophy. She was named to the Big Ten All-Tournament team earlier this week after averaging 27 points and shooting 73 percent from the field (24-for-33) in MSU's two tournament games, including a career-high 31 points vs. Iowa in the quarterfinals. She is MSU's all-time leaders in points (1,736), rebounds (1,107) and field goals (703).

The All-America candidate earned Big Ten Player of the Week accolades four times this season, a school record, and was named the WBCA National Co-Player of the Month in December after averaging 22.9 points and 9.1 rebounds. She was also named a first-team Academic All-American for her 3.72 GPA in General Management.