CHICAGO - DePaul senior guard Deirdre Naughton has been named to the Lowe's Senior CLASS candidate list. Naughton joins a list of 30 women's basketball student-athletes who excel not only on the court but also in the classroom and in their community.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages those leaders to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact.
Naughton, who boasts a 3.235 GPA, begins her senior season on some of the most prestigious preseason lists. The Winnetka, Illinois native was named to the preseason John R. Wooden candidate and to the Wade Watch List. Naughton is also a preseason Sporting News third team All-American and was recently named a preseason Associated Press honorable mention. The senior was also named to the preseason All-BIG EAST team.
Off the court, Naughton helped organized a Lenten food and clothing drive with former teammate Missy Mitidiero. The pair collected canned goods and apparel and donated it to the St. Vincent DePaul Center. As a member of DePaul's Captains' Council, Naughton has been part of DePaul's initiative to make sack lunches for the homeless. She has helped feed the homeless at DePaul's soup kitchen and participated in neighborhood community service projects. As a member of the women's basketball team, she has participated in Misericordia Candy Days.
The candidate lists will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 10 names are then placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one finalist who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of classroom, character, community and competition.
The Blue Demons play their final exhibition game on Friday against Illinois Wesleyan at McGrath Arena. The game is the first of a men's and women's doubleheader exhibition showdown. The women tip at 5:30 p.m. followed by the men at 7:30 p.m.
