Alabama outfielder Kayla Braud was named one of 10 softball student-athlete finalists for the Senior Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School Award. The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2013 NCAA Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City, May 30 through June 5.
Braud enters the Missouri series with a .431 batting average, tallying 39 runs, 50 hits and a team-high 30 stolen bases. She currently ranks second all-time at Alabama in career batting average, on base percentage and stolen bases, and ranks third in runs and fourth in hits.
Braud is a two-time Academic All-American. She has been a member of the Dean’s List each semester, and has obtained an NFCA Scholar-Athlete All-American award. Braud has also made Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll all three years. She carries a 3.7 GPA as a public relations major, with minors in computer science and psychology.
In the community, Braud has assisted displaced victims from the Tuscaloosa tornado in addition to participating in Read Across America in elementary schools throughout Tuscaloosa. Braud and her teammates volunteer for the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation. As volunteers, she and her team adopted a young girl suffering from a brain tumor. Braud has participated in Field of Angels, a baseball league for persons with disabilities. She has spoken to and assisted with little league softball teams and their practices. Braud has worked with the Autism Society of America’s “Light It Up Blue” campaign, and the Walk for Autism campaign.
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 complete list of finalists follows this release.
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.
The finalists were chosen by a media committee from the list of 30 candidates announced in February. Nationwide fan voting begins immediately to help select the winner. Fans are encouraged to vote on the Senior CLASS Award website or on the Senior CLASS Award Facebook fan page through May 13. Fan votes will be combined with media and Division I head coaches’ votes to determine the winner.
