KANSAS CITY, Mo. (March 1, 2004) – Diana Taurasi has been nominated as one of the top ten finalists for the 2004 Bayer Advantage Senior CLASS Award. The award is presented to the outstanding male and female senior NCAA Division 1 basketball player.
           
The men’s finalists include Andre Barrett of Seton Hall, Chris Duhon of Duke, Andre Emmett of Texas Tech, Gerald Fitch of Kentucky, Matt Freije of Vanderbilt, Luke Jackson of Oregon, Rickey Paulding of Missouri, Jameer Nelson of Saint Joseph’s, Julius Page of Pittsburgh, and Blake Stepp of Gonzaga.
 
Other women’s finalist include: Alana Beard of Duke, Tera Bjorklund of Colorado, Chandi Jones of Houston, Kelly Mazzante of Penn State, Nicole Ohlde of Kansas State, Nicole Powell of Stanford, Stacy Stephens of Texas, Lindsay Whalen of Minnesota, and Shereka Wright of Purdue.
 
The Senior Class Award – an acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School – was launched prior to the 2001-02 college basketball season. The initial idea came from CBS sportscaster Dick Enberg, who now serves as Honorary Chairman of the award.
 
A national committee of sportswriters and sportscasters who cover Division 1 college basketball selected the ten finalists for the third annual award. These nominees were chosen, based on performance during the current season, from a list of 32 “Players to Watch” for both women and men.
 
The names of the 10 finalists will appear on the official ballot during the national voting process during the month of March. The selection of the third annual men’s and women’s winner will be determined by a points system involving three voting entities:  the national media committee, Division 1 college basketball coaches, and national online fan balloting via the official website www.seniorclassaward.com.
 
"This year’s senior class has provided some great moments for college basketball already this season,” said John Payne, President and General Manager, Bayer HealthCare LLC, Animal Health Division.  “These national finalists have not only produced great results on the court, but deserve recognition for remaining committed to their university, their teammates and their education.”
 
The men’s winner will be announced on CBS television by Enberg during the NCAA Men’s Final Four in San Antonio.  The female winner will be announced during the NCAA Women’s Final Four in New Orleans.  At the same time, the Bayer Advantage Senior CLASS Award will also announce First-Team and Second-Team All-Senior All-America teams, based on results from the balloting.
 
The 2003-04 honorees will be presented with their award at the Bayer Advantage Senior CLASS Award Tribute Gala in Kansas City on Friday, May 7, 2004. The event is hosted by the Pride of Kansas City Foundation, a non-profit organization comprised of some of Kansas City’s top business and civic leaders.  Kansas City, which has hosted more Final Four tournaments than any other city, has long been associated with the heritage of college basketball.
 
The winners of the inaugural award were Juan Dixon of Maryland and Sue Bird of Connecticut.  Last year’s honorees were David West of Xavier and LaToya Thomas of Mississippi State. Shane Battier, who inspired the inception of the award by his compelling senior season at Duke three years ago, received an honorary Senior CLASS Award in its first year of existence.