Overland Park, KS - Hofstra senior men's soccer student-athlete Matthew Vowinkel was named one of 30 candidates nationally for the 2020-21 Men's Soccer Senior CLASS Award.
 
Thirty of the top NCAA® men's soccer student-athletes, who excel both on and off the field, were selected as candidates for the award.
 
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 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 complete list of candidates can be found at the link on the top of this release.

Vowinkel has excelled in all four areas. 

He has taken part in numerous community service projects with his team and through Hofstra's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee including Hofstra's New Student Move-In Day, neighborhood cleanup projects, food drives to benefit Island Harvest, and youth soccer clinics.

Vowinkel, a finance major, has shined in the classroom where he was a 2019 United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-American and a Scholar All-Region selection. He has been a member of the Hofstra Dean's List, the Hofstra Athletic Director Scholars Academic Honor Roll, and the CAA Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll.

In terms of character, Vowinkel leads by example on the field and has demonstrated work ethic and drive throughout his career to become one of the top scorers in the sport. 

On the field, Vowinkel has been a force. He has scored 27 goals and added five assists for 59 points during his career. He is the sixth leading active goal scorer in the nation and currently ranks seventh all-time in goals and 11th in points at Hofstra. He was a First Team All-Colonial Athletic Association selection in 2019 and earned United Soccer Coaches All-Region accolades. Vowinkel was selected by FC Cincinnati in the third round of the 2021 MLS SuperDraft.

The candidate list will be narrowed to 10 finalists in April, 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 a winner who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character, and competition.

The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2021 NCAA Men's College Cup® championships in May.