University of Delaware Athletics
Ben Sampson Named Candidate for Men's Soccer Senior CLASS Award
10/7/2016 6:20:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Complete Senior CLASS Release
OVERLAND PARK, Kansas – Delaware graduate student Ben Sampson (Woodbury, Minn./Woodbury) was tabbed Friday as one of 30 men's soccer student-athletes nationally to be selected as candidates for the 2016 Senior CLASS Award®.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focused on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in the community.
Ian Hennessy. “Ben graduated summa cum laude in May with a degree from one of the University's most challenging department and his only blemish was a single A-. He did all of this while participating on a team recognized as one of the better soccer programs in the nation. This is an opportunity for our entire school to celebrate his successes on the field and off. I am extremely proud of Ben.”To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified with NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.
Following a medical redshirt, Sampson decided to return to the classroom to utilize his fifth year of eligibility to pursue a Master's in Electrical and Computer Engineering with a concentration in signal processing, communications and controls. The 2014 CAA Men's Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year and a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-America® selection, he graduated top of his class this past spring with a 3.989 cumulative GPA.
Sampson, a two-time team captain, displays a similar hallmark leadership on the field and in the community. He has remained a mainstay on the pitch for Delaware and to date has started 74 of 75 games played in a Blue Hens uniform while rarely seeing less than 90 minutes played in a contest. For his career, Sampson has garnered nine goals and four assists for 22 points.
In recent Delaware history, Katie Hillman represented the Blue Hens volleyball squad in 2015 while All-American Elena Delle Donne won the women's basketball award during the 2012-13 season.
The candidate class of 30 will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular 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 male candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.
The Senior CLASS Award® winner will be announced during the 2016 NCAA Men's College Cup® championship in December.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Please contact Maggie Hayon | mhayon@udel.edu | O: 302-831-6389 | C: 302-379-9182
