The Tribune

GEORGE Washington Colonials senior Jonquel Jones was named one of 30 women’s basketball candidates for the Senior CLASS Award.

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.

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.

The 2015 Atlantic 10 Player and Defensive Player of the Year and an honourable mention All-American, Jones is a candidate for several national player of the year honours in 2016, including the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award and the Naismith Trophy.

The Freeport, Bahamas, native currently leads the NCAA in rebounding (15.4 rpg) and double-doubles (15), and she ranks second in the Atlantic 10 in scoring (17.4 ppg) and blocked shots (3.0 bpg).

Jones ranks third all-time at GW with 902 rebounds as a Colonial and sixth with 156 blocked shots, and her 982 career rebounds (including 80 at Clemson) rank eighth among active Division I players.

In addition, the 6-6 forward’s 277 rebounds this season rank as the ninth-highest single-season total ever by a Colonial. Jones has been named A-10 Player of the Week five times this season and 13 times in her career.

In the classroom, Jones boasts a 3.04 grade-point average as a criminal justice major. She was recognised on the GW Athletics Academic Dean’s List for the Fall 2014 semester and on the Atlantic 10 Commissioner’s Honour Roll for Fall 2013.

Jones is a Legacy Leader in GW Athletics’ Leadership Academy. In addition, while the women’s basketball team does not pick captains, she is a member of the team’s leadership council, which performs responsibilities normally handled by captains.

Finally, Jones is one of the most popular figures not just within GW’s Department of Athletics and Recreation but across campus. She can be seen at most home sporting events supporting her fellow Colonials.

Along with her teammates, Jones has visited a number of local elementary schools to talk to the students about what it takes to be a Division I student-athlete. She also participated in a canned food drive and helped deliver the collection to the food bank, and she helped prepare meals at a homeless shelter.

Moreover, she and her teammates hosted a youth clinic for the children in her hometown of Freeport, Grand Bahama, during their trip to the Bahamas for the Junkanoo Jam last fall.

Jones is the second Colonial in as many years to be named a candidate for the Senior CLASS Award after Chakecia Miller was selected last season, and she is the only candidate from the Atlantic 10 Conference.

The class of 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists in February, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot, which will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans. The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2016 NCAA Women’s Final Four.