WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - William and Mary women's soccer senior midfielder Mallory Schaffer has been named a finalist for the 2012 Senior CLASS Award for women's soccer.  The finalists are comprised of 10 student-athletes, who define the meaning of success on and off the field.  The winner of The  2012 Senior CLASS award will be announced during the Women's College Cup Championship, which will take place in San Diego, Calf., on Nov. 30 through Dec. 2.

To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence - community, classroom, character and competition.

The finalists were chosen by a media committee from the list of 30 men's candidates and 30 women's candidates announced in September. Nationwide fan voting begins immediately to help select the winner. Fans are encouraged to vote on the Senior CLASS Award website through November 19. Fan votes will be combined with media and Division I head coaches' votes to determine the winner.

"Mallory's inclusion in the latest update for the Senior CLASS Award is highly deserved," stated head coach John Daly.  "She continues to display the highest level of competitiveness and resilience.  Her leadership and character are of the highest order and her value to her team can't be put into words."

An exceptional student-athlete, Schaffer has made her mark at the College and in the local community.  The Allison Park, Pa., native is involved in the Williamsburg Community Chapel, leading a Bible Study group of area high school girls.  Her ministry duties go beyond the boundaries of conducting weekly bible studies.  Mallory also serves as a chaperone for weekend retreats and other social events.  As a role model and mentor, she helps with their schoolwork and regularly attends their extracurricular activities.  Schaffer also excels in the classroom, as she was named the 2011 CAA Women's Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

On the pitch, Schaffer was named the 2011 CAA Player of the Year as she also garnered first-team league honors.  The awards continued to pile up in 2011 as she was named a First-Team NSCAA All-American, while being named a Soccer MVP Second-Team All-American.  Schaffer capped a decorated junior season taking home First-Team Region honors, First-Team VaSID accolades and the VaSID Player of the Year distinction. 

Through 16 matches this season, the 2012 CAA Preseason Player of the Year leads the Tribe with 20 points coming on nine goals and two assists, and has been named the CAA Player of the Week on two occasions.  For her career, the All-American has netted 40 goals, which is tied for sixth most in school history, while her 93 career points stand at eighth all-time in the Tribe record books.

About the Award
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior Class Award honors the attributes of senior student-athletes in four areas: community, classroom, character and competition.  The award program is designed exclusively for college seniors who are utilizing their complete academic eligibility, remaining committed to their university and pursuing the many rewards a senior season can bring. The award is managed by Premier Sports Management.

About the NCAA
The NCAA is a membership-led nonprofit association of colleges and universities committed to supporting academic and athletics opportunities for more than 400,000 student-athletes at more than 1,000 member colleges and universities.  Each year, more than 54,000 student-athletes compete in NCAA championships in Divisions l, ll and lll sports.  Visit NCAA.org and NCAA.com for more details about the Association, its goals and members and corporate partnerships that help support programs for student-athletes.

Tribe soccer returns to action on Friday, as it welcomes Northeastern to Martin Family Stadium at Albert-Daly Field for a match scheduled to being at 7 p.m.  The College, who is 11-5 overall and 5-2 in CAA action, will close out the regular season playing three consecutive home matches beginning with the Huskies on Friday night.