Posted 10/13/16, 4:38 PM CST

OVERLAND PARK (AM News Net)  –  Candidates for the 2016 Senior CLASS Award have been announced today, and outside hitter Ashley Smith from TCU is on the list. The CLASS Award has the purpose of recognizing student athletes for excellence on and off the court.

"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," a press release says.

30 candidates are on the list, 14 of which have a grade point average of 3.5 or higher. Throughout the season, the list will narrow to a smaller selection of candidates.

"The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists later in the regular season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot," the release says.

Fans, coaches, and others will be able to vote later.

TCU's Ashley Smith has maintained a 3.88 GPA, in addition to other achievements.

"[Smith] also has been a part of the dean’s list during five semesters in Fort Worth and been honored with the TCU Scholar-Athlete of the Year and TCU Pop Boone Athlete of the Year awards," the Senior CLASS Awards site says.

Smith also has participated in helping out at the Ronald McDonald House and other charitable events.

"Smith also has taken time to go to local elementary schools and participate in reading programs every spring," the site says.

Athletic-wise, Smith is the tenth player in TCU history to record 1,000 kills and has only not played in three games in the past four seasons.

"Smith has totaled 26 double-doubles so far in her career, which ranks ninth in program history and has been named to eight all-tournament teams during her career," the site says.

The full press release and more information on all the candidates can be found here.

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