By Krystina Lucido

Theresa Ferraina and Tennant McVea both scored a finalist position for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award Monday, handing Loyola the record for being the only school to hold finalists for both men’s and women’s soccer. 

McVea, Loyola’s men’s defender from Belfast in Northern Ireland has already been a member of the Hermann Trophy Watch List and named to the College Soccer News Preseason All-America Second Team and the preseason All-MAAC First Team in 2009.

He received numerous awards in his junior season including recognition a Loyola player hasn’t seen since Zach Thornton in 1993, the NSCAA First Team All-American. As team captain and leader of a defense that was ninth in the nation in shutouts (12), McVea started and appeared in all 21 games for the Greyhounds, totaling four points.

The senior business marketing major has a career six goals and one assist in 67 starts for Loyola.

Loyola women’s soccer forward, Theresa Ferraina, from Long Branch, N.J., is a graduate student at Loyola who has racked up numerous accolades in four-plus years with the Greyhounds.

Last year Ferraina led the Greyhounds in points (26) in 20 starts and was team leader in goals (9, many of them game-winners) and assists (8). She was also named to the 2008 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Women's Soccer First Team, the MAAC All-Academic Team and earned All-MAAC First Team honors. Her career record 18 goals and 12 assists ranks her in the top six of both records in the school’s history.

According to a press release, “the Lowe’s 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.”

Voting closes Nov. 13. Cast votes on the award’s official Web site, http://www.seniorCLASSaward.com, as well as through text messaging. Fans can text SOCCER to 74567 to vote for men’s finalists and GOAL to 74567 to vote for women’s finalists.

Posted: October 7, 2009