Two Trojan student-athletes were named finalists for the 2016 Senior Class Award in their respective sports today, and Trojan fans can vote to help them win.
Football captain Zach Banner and women's volleyball captain Taylor Whittingham made the 10-person lists, which reward senior student-athletes for excellence in the community, in the classroom, in character and in competition.
Banner, the only Pac-12 player to make the final cut in football, is currently working on his second Bachelor's degree (in sociology), after earning a communication degree from USC earlier this year. He is frequently involved in USC's community programs, including a recent partnership with Trojan Outreach and the CFP Extra Yard for Teachers charity, during which he spoke to local elementary schoolers about the importance of education and helped present a local teacher with a $10,000 check. Banner missed two games to injury this season, but has helped lead an offensive line that's given up the fewest sacks in the Pac-12 this year. He earned All-Pac-12 first team honors in 2015.
Whittingham, who leads her team and ranks third in the conference in digs per set (4.94), is one of three Pac-12 women's volleyball players to be named finalists. This season, the communication major moved up to fourth in USC history with 1,609 career digs and counting. Off the court, Whittingham has led the women's volleyball team in number of service projects, including a day spent with patients at CHLA. She also served as a team leader during USC's "A Day in Troy" program and as a mentor to local Girl Scouts from 2014-15.
Click here to vote for Taylor and click here to vote for Zach!
The fan vote accounts for 1/3 of the total votes toward determining a winner. The other 2/3 comprise NCAA Division I coaches and national media members. Fan voting will be open until Dec. 12.
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