South Dakota State women's basketball student-athlete Ellie Thompson was named one of 30 candidates for the 2017-18 Senior CLASS Award in collegiate basketball today. The senior has a 3.88 cumulative GPA as an advertising major. She was named to the 2017-18 Summit League All-Academic Team and is a three-time Distinguished Scholar on The Summit League Academic Honor Roll and a two-time Summit League Commissioner's List of Academic Excellence selection.
Thompson is a member of SDSU's Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, and has posted a perfect 4.0 GPA in six semesters. She was also the copy editor for the campus newspaper and interned at Jackrabbits Sports Properties. On the basketball court, Thompson has started all 15 games for the Jackrabbits and averages 6.7 points and 5.0 rebounds. The Chaska, Minnesota, native is a two-time All-Summit League second-team selection and was named to the league's all-newcomer team and to the 2015 Summit League All-Tournament team. Additionally, she is a three-time preseason all-league pick.
The 30 candidates will be narrowed to a field of 10 finalists in February and placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select a candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition. The Senior CLASS Award will be announced during the 2018 NCAA Women's Final Four.
