Mancuso Candidate for Senior CLASS Award

Lincoln, Neb. - Nebraska senior outside hitter Gina Mancuso was one of 30 national candidates announced for the 2012 Senior CLASS Award, released on Thursday, Sept. 20.

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.

An All-American for head coach John Cook as a junior, Mancuso was also a unanimous first-team All-Big Ten pick after leading the Huskers with 3.60 kills per set, 2.66 digs per set and 0.54 blocks per set. She was a key asset in helping the Huskers earn their first Big Ten championship in 2011. She posted 407 kills as a junior and was ranked in the top 10 in the Big Ten Conference in kills for the entire season.

Off the court, Mancuso has excelled for the Huskers in the classroom and the community. She was named a second-team CoSIDA Academic All-District VIII selection in 2011 and was also a 2011 academic All-Big Ten pick and earned first-team academic All-Big 12 honors in 2010. She was also a three-time selection to the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll and was named to the fall 2011 and spring 2012 Nebraska student-athlete honor roll. In addition, she was the recipient of the honors medallion at the 2011 Nebraska student-athlete recognition banquet.

Mancuso is a two-year member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, most recently serving as the outreach officer. She served as a member of the Husker Connect mentoring program and has been active in the community both individually and as a part of Nebraska's team efforts.

From the list of 30 candidates, a national media committee will select ten finalists for the 2012 Senior CLASS Award in October. Those 10 names will then be 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.