Blue Devils’ Peters named as finalist for Senior CLASS Award

Chris Baird - TSN via Baird Photography
Chris Baird – TSN via Baird Photography

OVERLAND PARK, KAN. – Duke Blue Devils senior forward Haley Peters was named one of 10 finalists for the 2013-14 Senior CLASS Award as announced on Wednesday.

Peters, from Red Bank, N.J., has started all 21 contests she has played in for the third-ranked Blue Devils (22-3, 9-2 ACC), while averaging 11.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.1 steals.

Her 7.8 rebounds per game ranks eighth in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and leads the Duke squad.

Peters became just the ninth player in Blue Devil history to notch over 1,000 points and 750 rebounds over her career, and also ranks 10th overall on the Duke rebounding list with 754 boards.

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.

In the classroom, Peters has excelled with a 3.787 grade-point average, while majoring in political science with a minor in English.

She is a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District III honoree, three-time ACC All-Academic Team, three-time ACC Honor Roll selection, and was named to the Dean’s List at Duke over her first five semesters.

Since arriving at Duke, Peters has been heavily involved with numerous community service events.

She was the keynote speaker at the Tomorrow’s Community Leaders Ceremony for the Mayor’s Award Recipients in Durham in 2013, participated in a 2013 clinic for the Durham Special Olympics, visited three summers at the Duke Children’s Hospital Camp Kaleidoscope, was a part of the Title IX Celebration with the Department of Interior in Washington, D.C., in the summer of 2012, a Ronald McDonald House Volunteer, Read with the Blue Devils, helped with Nueva Esperanza, which is a Safe House for Girls in Durham, helped at the Durham Soup Kitchen and took gifts at the holidays to needy families among others.

Other finalists for the award include Heather Butler (Tennessee-Martin), Hallie Christofferson (Iowa State), Jerica Coley (Florida International), Stefanie Dolson (UConn), Jordan Hooper (Nebraska), Natasha Howard (Florida State), Maggie Lucas (Penn State), Chiney Ogwumike (Stanford) and Odyssey Sims (Baylor).

The award finalists were chosen by national media from the list of 30 women’s candidates announced in October.

Fans are encouraged to vote on the Senior CLASS Award website (seniorCLASSaward.com) and those  votes will be combined with media and Division I head coaches’ votes to determine the winners.

The Senior CLASS Award winners will be announced during the 2014 NCAA Men’s Final Four® and NCAA Women’s Final Four®.