AUSTIN, Texas — Senior Texas center Imani Boyette (Los Angeles, Calif.) is one of 30 women's basketball players nationally to have been selected as a candidate for the 2016 Senior CLASS Award, it was announced Tuesday.

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. 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.

The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists in February, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition. The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the NCAA Final Four.

Boyette, a senior accounting major at the University of Texas, has an incredible story of overcoming significant obstacles to achieve great success on the basketball court, in the classroom and within the community. She has been recognized with the Honda Inspiration Award and was named the 2014-15 Big 12 Conference Female Sportsperson of the Year. Last month, she was selected as a 2015 recipient of the prestigious Texas Exes President's Leadership Award, which is presented to undergraduate students who have demonstrated outstanding leadership within the student community at the University of Texas.

"Watching Imani grow as a young woman has been one of the true highlights of my coaching career," Texas head coach Karen Aston said. "She's an amazing talent on the court, but her courage and perseverance have been the true measure of her growth. Imani has become an inspiration not only for our program, but for women all over the world."

Boyette ranks 27th on Texas' all-time career scoring list with 1,177 points and is third on the school's career blocks list with 251. Additionally, she is 15 rebounds shy of becoming just the ninth person in school history to record 900 career boards. With 115 more rebounds, Boyette would become the first player in program history to record more than 1,000 career points, more than 1,000 career rebounds and more than 200 career blocks.

Boyette was the 2012-13 Big 12 Conference Freshman of the Year and is a multi-time All-Big 12 selection, including a first-team nod last season. She was named to the Big 12 All-Tournament Team a year ago.

In her senior season, Boyette is averaging a double-double with 13.0 points per game and 10.1 rebounds per game. She also averages 3.1 blocks per game and has started all 17 games this season for her team, helping the Longhorns to a 16-1 overall record and a top-10 national ranking. The All-America candidate has turned in nine double-doubles this year, including a double-dip in five of six conference games. This season alone, she has been named the Big 12 Conference Player of the Week on three occasions.

As a survivor of suicide attempts and molestation at a young age, Boyette used poetry, basketball and her experiences at the University of Texas to overcome a turbulent youth. In middle school, she discovered poetry as a release to put emotions, memories and experiences on paper. She was immersed in the arts as a youngster and competing in local "slam poetry" competitions in Austin helped Boyette express her emotions. Telling her story has allowed Boyette to inspire countless young women to overcome similar circumstances.

ABOUT THE AWARD

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award honors the attributes of senior student-athletes in four areas: community, classroom, character and competition. The award program is designed exclusively for college seniors who are utilizing their complete athletic eligibility, remaining committed to their university and pursuing the many rewards a senior season can bring.