Kovanda a Senior CLASS Award All-American – Ohio State Buckeyes
6/28/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Cory Kovanda, a senior co-captain for the Ohio State baseball team who hit a career-best .346 this past season, was named to the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award Senior All-American Team in an announcement made this weekend at the College World Series.
Kovanda, a four-year starter at second base for the Buckeyes, was one of five on the Senior All-American First Team along with Senior CLASS Award Winner Daniel Bilbona from the California Irvine, Blake Dean from LSU, Jim Klocke from Southeast Missouri State and Tony Plagman, from Georgia.
The second team includes Stephen Cardullo, Florida State; Mike Donato, Massachusetts; Tyler Lyons, Oklahoma State; Matt Payton, Western Kentucky and David Towarnicky, Appalachian State.
Kovanda was selected at the beginning of the season as a Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award candidate for his positive contributions as a leader on and off the playing field throughout his Ohio State baseball career. Kovanda’s efforts have included devoting time and raising money for a pancreatic cancer society. He lost his mother, Linda, to pancreatic cancer two weeks before the start of the 2009 baseball season.
Diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 12, Kovanda has taken part part in diabetes walks for life and served as a role model for those athletes afflicted with the disease. He has visited cancer patients at Columbus Children’s Hospital and gone into local elementary to talk to children about the importance of being good people and good teammates.
And this season he and his teammates “adopted” Will O’Brien, from Pataskala, Ohio, as part of the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation, a non-profit organization that improves the quality of life for children with pediatric brain tumors and their families.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in SchoolTM, the Lowe’s 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. Kovanda has done just that.
Currently completing requirements for his degree in early childhood development, Kovanda is considering graduate school to pursue a master’s in special education.
###OhioStateBuckeyes.com###
