COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M midfielder Janae Cousineau was selected as a candidate for the Senior CLASS Award for soccer, it was announced Thursday.
The San Clemente, California native was one of 30 women’s soccer student-athletes chosen as hopefuls for the prestigious award. Cousineau was nominated based on her dedication and achievement in four areas: Classroom, Character, Community, and Competition. She was the lone student-athlete chosen from the Southeastern Conference and one of only seven players selected from teams currently in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Top 25 Coaches Poll.
On the field, Cousineau earned All-SEC Second Team and NSCAA All-South Region Third Team in 2014. For her career, she has played in 64 matches with 49 starts. She has nine goals and five assists for her career as a defensive midfielder. Last season, she was the first Aggie since 2002 to score a goal in six consecutive matches.
This year, she has helped lead the Aggies to a 4-0-0 start with one goal and one assist.
Cousineau is a standout in the classroom where she owns a 3.28 grade-point average in animal science. She is a two-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll and was named to the NSCAA Scholar All-South Region Second Team in 2014.
Not only is Cousineau an asset on the field, she is very active in the BCS and her hometown community. In California she is active in Operation Smile, an initiative for children with cleft palates, beach clean-up initiatives, and dinner on the street which brings meals to the homeless. Under Cousineau’s leadership soccer has won the Aggie Cup for the third year in a row. This is awarded to the Texas A&M athletic team that is the most well-rounded in the classroom, community service, and school spirit. She has also visited Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, participates in Aggies Can, the nation’s largest canned food drive, a bicycle helmet program called Hard Hats for Little Heads and helps run numerous free youth soccer camps offered by the team.
Texas A&M’s Emily Peterson won the award in 2009. In 2010, Rachel Shipley was one of the 10 finalists for the award, earning Senior CLASS First Team recognition.
From the list of 30 candidates, a national media committee will select 10 finalists for the 2015 Senior Class Award in early 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. The winner will be announced during the 2015 NCAA Division I Women’s College Cup in December.
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 the complete athletic eligibility, remaining committed to their university and pursuing the many rewards a senior season can bring. Premier Sports Management manages the award.
Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics