Official Release

KANSAS CITY, MO. - - Belmont University men's basketball senior Andy Wicke (Hendersonville, Tenn.) has been selected as a candidate for the 2008-09 Lowe's Senior Class Award for men's basketball.

One of only seven players in all of college basketball this season with the opportunity to earn a fourth consecutive automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, Wicke has been a leader on and off the court for the Bruin program.

The 6-2 guard is 53 points shy of becoming just the eighth Bruin in the NCAA era to score 1,000 or more career points. Wicke's passion, intensity and consistency on both ends of the floor is a major reason why Belmont continues to be a force at the mid major level.

Through games of Dec. 14, Wicke stands ninth in the NCAA in steals per game (3.0) and 16th in three-point field goal percentage (.500). The tough-minded fifth-year senior paces the Atlantic Sun Conference in steals per game, three-pointers per game, and three-point field goal percentage.

Moreover, Wicke - a 2006 Atlantic Sun All-Freshman Team member and 2007 Atlantic Sun All-Tournament Team honoree - scored 14 points in Belmont's near-upset of three-time National Champion Duke in the 2008 NCAA Tournament.

But, the Hendersonville, Tenn. native's accomplishments are far reaching. A perennial member of the Atlantic Sun Academic All-Conference team, Wicke is on schedule to graduate with honors in environmental studies this coming May before pursuing dental school.

Wicke's outgoing nature and giving spirit has also manifested in countless on-campus and community outreach efforts. Among them, Wicke has been a part of Belmont Athletics' sports evangelism mission trips to Ukraine, Venezuela and Brazil whereby student-athletes share basketball and their personal faith with thousands of underprivileged locals. He plans to accompany trip leader Betty Wiseman on the 2009 mission trip to South Africa.

Wicke is an active member of Belmont's chapter of Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE), where students, faculty, and area business leaders join forces with the sole goal of bettering the lives of others. For his part, Wicke tutors high school aged minority students in mathematics to bolster their college entrance exam scores and eventual prospects.

Another SIFE community service project had Wicke working with leaders in East Nashville to plant and harvest fresh fruits and vegetables in an otherwise underutilized field. The field serves as a self-sustaining source of healthy food for area residents.

Wicke also volunteered his time and talents at Harris-Hillman School in Nashville - a school for children with special needs. He assisted school administrators in sprucing up Harris-Hillman's `Sensory Garden', an invaluable space for children with cerebral palsy.

The Lowe's Senior Class Award candidate list is simply a `Who's Who' for college basketball: Wicke stands with Tyler Hansbrough of North Carolina, A.J. Abrams of Texas, Sam Young of Pittsburgh, Jack McClinton of Miami and Greg Paulus of Duke among others.

Wicke is the lone Atlantic Sun Conference representative and one of just nine student-athletes from mid major programs.

Belmont's Justin Hare was named to the list a year ago.

The Lowe's Senior Class Award honors the attributes of senior student-athletes in four areas: classroom, community, character, and competition.

From the list of 30 nominees, a national media committee will select 10 finalists for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award in February 2009. Those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot for a nationwide vote during the NCAA Tournament in March. Fan balloting will be coupled with votes from coaches and media to determine the award recipient.

The award was conceived by legendary sportscaster Dick Enberg, who continues to serve as Honorary Chairman.

2008 SEC Player of the Year and Vanderbilt standout Shan Foster won the award last year.