OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - Gonzaga redshirt senior forward Elle Tinkle was one of thirty national candidates selected for the 2016-17 Senior CLASS Award® in collegiate basketball.

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 30 candidate class will be narrowed to a field of 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.

Tinkle checks boxes in all four categories. A fifth-year senior majoring in the challenging Gonzaga nursing program, she maintains a 3.50 GPA.

Tinkle has earned Dean's List and President's List recognition during her time at Gonzaga. In the nursing program, a student must balance class time as well as clinical rotations in the hospital. Tinkle has done a tremendous job of being able to balance her commitments with class, clinical, and basketball. She continues to log hours in the hospital as well as the basketball floor and will graduate with her nursing degree in Spring 2017. She was selected 2016 Honorable Mention Academic All-WCC and 2015 Academic All-WCC.

Tinkle was a member of the Gonzaga Athletics Leadership Institute in 2014-2015, and has been a vital component on the team with her leadership styles. After going down last season with injury, Tinkle worked hard to be a vocal leader because she was no longer on the floor, and is a captain and leader on the floor this season.

On the court this season, the senior is averaging 8.5 points per game and 5.2 rebounds per game, 20th in the West Coast Conference, in 26 minutes of action per game. She leads the team and is ninth in the conference averaging 1.8 steals per game. Tinkle is shooting 38.6 percent from three, 13th in the WCC, and averages 0.8 blocks per game, 10th in the WCC. She has started in all 13 games and averages 1.5 assists per contest.

Since her freshman year, she has been involved in the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), During her time at Gonzaga, she has donated time to 11 different organizations throughout the Spokane community.

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 Senior CLASS Award winners will be announced during the 2017 NCAA Men's Final Four® and NCAA Women's Final Four® this spring. For more information on each of the candidates, visit seniorCLASSaward.com.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CANDIDATES:
Lindsay Allen-Notre Dame
Evelyn Akhator-Kentucky
Sophie Brunner-Arizona State
Nina Davis-Baylor
Jessica Jackson-Arkansas
Marissa Janning-Creighton
Jessica January-DePaul
Seanna Johnson-Iowa State
Brionna Jones-Maryland
Sigi Koizar-Maine
Kari Korver-UCLA
Kelsey Lang-Texas
Breanna Lewis-Kansas State
Marina Lizarazu-Iona
Erica McCall-Stanford
Taylor McCarley-UMBC
Lanay Montgomery-West Virginia
Adrienne Motley-Miami
Kendall Noble-Western Kentucky
Ellen Nystrom-Colorado State
Kelsey Plum-Washington
Rosanna Reynolds-Detroit Mercy
Leticia Romero-Florida State
Elle Tinkle-Gonzaga
Shatori Walker-Kimbrough-Maryland
Madison Weekly-Northern Iowa
Lizzy Wendell-Drake
Kindred Wesemann-Kansas State
Sydney Wiese-Oregon State
Ronni Williams-Florida