University of North Texas Athletics
Muller Named Lowe's Senior CLASS Award Candidate
3/4/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Kansas City, Mo. (3/4/08) North Texas senior shortstop Katya Muller was selected as one of 30 candidates for the 2008 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, the association announced today. Thirty of the nation’s best softball college players who also excel in the classroom and make an impact in their respective communities were listed as nominees.
The award, presented to NCAA Division I student-athletes each year in eight sports, focuses on the "Four C’s" of classroom, character, community and competition.
At the start of the 2008 softball season, Muller was named to the Preseason All-Sun Belt team. She was a First Team All-Sun Belt honoree in 2007 after leading the Mean Green with 63 hits, the third most in school history. The shortstop finished second on the team with a .332 batting average, which tied for second on the single-season record list. Muller has started the first 18 games of the 2008 season and began the year with the team’s first hit: a home run in the win against Creighton.
Muller has shown her leadership abilities off the field as well. She has been a team representative for SAAC (Student-Athlete Advisory Committee) from her freshman year through her senior year. Muller served as the UNT representative at the Sun Belt SAAC Conference in New Orleans before her junior year and currently serves as the SAAC President at North Texas. This past October, she attended the NCAA Division I Regional Leadership Conference.
The senior has been active in the community all four years of college. Along with the North Texas softball team, Muller has volunteered with the Salvation Army Kettle Ringing every holiday season. She has also done volunteer work with the Salvation Army Angel Tree Program, the Community Civic League’s Angel Tree Program and the Texas Scottish Rite Children’s Hospital.
Muller will graduate in May of 2008 with a degree in public relations. She was named to the school’s President’s List her first year at North Texas and has been named to the Dean’s List three times. She has also been named to the Sun Belt Conference Commissioner’s List and Academic Honor Roll. Following her junior year, she was named to the Mean Green All-Academic Team in 2007.
From the list of 30 nominees, a national media committee will select 10 finalists for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award at the end of March of 2008. The 10 finalists will be place on the official ballot for a nationwide vote that will include coaches, media and fans. The award winner will be announced and recognized at the 2008 NCAA Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City.
North Texas has started the season with a 6-12 record. The Mean Green plays at Stephen F. Austin on Wednesday, March 5 at 4 pm in a a doubleheader.
