Funke Named 2020 Senior CLASS Award Candidate
February 18, 2020 | Softball
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – The University of Louisville's Celene Funke has been named a candidate for the 2020 Senior CLASS Award® in collegiate softball.
About the Senior CLASS Award
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. To view the full list of candidates, click here.
Senior Celene Funke (Carmel, Ind.) becomes the third Senior CLASS Award candidate in program history and the first since 2014 when Katie Keller was a Top 10 Finalist. The three-year starter is a team leader each of the award categories. The two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American was a 2020 All-ACC Preseason selection, led the nation in triples last season and is member of the UofL Student-Athlete Advisory Committee along with serving as an ACC representative to the NCAA.
Classroom
Funke is a two-time Google Cloud Academic All-American, earning first team honors in 2019 and third team honors in 2018. She is UofL softball's only two-time Academic All-American. Funke earned her bachelor's degree in finance in May 2019, graduating with highest honors and a 4.0 cumulative GPA. She earned the Woodrow M. Strickler Leadership Award for Finance and was named Outstanding Senior in Finance. Funke is currently pursuing her MBA and has maintained a 4.0 GPA through her first semester.
Additionally, she is a three-time ACC Academic Honor Roll member and a two-time All-ACC Academic and NFCA Scholar Athlete selection.
Character
Funke is the consummate teammate and leader both on and off the field. Celine is a team captain for the 2020 season. She brings positive energy to everyone around her and is always encouraging others. She is extremely hard-working and disciplined in everything she does. She is a also a member of UofL's Student Athlete Advisory Committee and is an ACC representative to the NCAA. Throughout her career, she has earned the respect of her coaches, teammates, and peers.
Community
Funke is among Louisville softball's community service leaders with 57 hours entering the 2020 spring semester. Some of her many volunteer activities include: Blessings in a Backpack, writing letters to local schools, participating in the Softball & Inner City Youth program, Norton's Children's Hospital Festival of Trees and Lights and Bike to Beat Cancer, the Cardinal Cupboard Food Donation Drive, Community Cleanup in Old Louisville, Dreams With Wings Jack-O-Lantern Stroll and baking for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kentucky.
Competition
Funke registered a team-best 48 runs and stood second with a .324 batting average and 29 stolen bases last season – placing her second UofL's record list for single season stolen base. The speedy centerfielder led the nation and holds Louisville's single-season record with 13 triples and is tied for second on Louisville's career list with 15. As a freshman, the naturally right-handed batter moved to the left side of the plate and went on the lead UofL in batting average as a sophomore and make her mark on UofL's season and career lists in stolen bases and triples.
About the Senior CLASS Award
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. To view the full list of candidates, click here.
Senior Celene Funke (Carmel, Ind.) becomes the third Senior CLASS Award candidate in program history and the first since 2014 when Katie Keller was a Top 10 Finalist. The three-year starter is a team leader each of the award categories. The two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American was a 2020 All-ACC Preseason selection, led the nation in triples last season and is member of the UofL Student-Athlete Advisory Committee along with serving as an ACC representative to the NCAA.
Classroom
Funke is a two-time Google Cloud Academic All-American, earning first team honors in 2019 and third team honors in 2018. She is UofL softball's only two-time Academic All-American. Funke earned her bachelor's degree in finance in May 2019, graduating with highest honors and a 4.0 cumulative GPA. She earned the Woodrow M. Strickler Leadership Award for Finance and was named Outstanding Senior in Finance. Funke is currently pursuing her MBA and has maintained a 4.0 GPA through her first semester.
Additionally, she is a three-time ACC Academic Honor Roll member and a two-time All-ACC Academic and NFCA Scholar Athlete selection.
Character
Funke is the consummate teammate and leader both on and off the field. Celine is a team captain for the 2020 season. She brings positive energy to everyone around her and is always encouraging others. She is extremely hard-working and disciplined in everything she does. She is a also a member of UofL's Student Athlete Advisory Committee and is an ACC representative to the NCAA. Throughout her career, she has earned the respect of her coaches, teammates, and peers.
Community
Funke is among Louisville softball's community service leaders with 57 hours entering the 2020 spring semester. Some of her many volunteer activities include: Blessings in a Backpack, writing letters to local schools, participating in the Softball & Inner City Youth program, Norton's Children's Hospital Festival of Trees and Lights and Bike to Beat Cancer, the Cardinal Cupboard Food Donation Drive, Community Cleanup in Old Louisville, Dreams With Wings Jack-O-Lantern Stroll and baking for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kentucky.
Competition
Funke registered a team-best 48 runs and stood second with a .324 batting average and 29 stolen bases last season – placing her second UofL's record list for single season stolen base. The speedy centerfielder led the nation and holds Louisville's single-season record with 13 triples and is tied for second on Louisville's career list with 15. As a freshman, the naturally right-handed batter moved to the left side of the plate and went on the lead UofL in batting average as a sophomore and make her mark on UofL's season and career lists in stolen bases and triples.
Players Mentioned
OF
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