CHICAGO (February 10, 2022) – Lucas Williamson (Chicago, Ill./Whitney Young), a graduate student on the Loyola University Chicago men's basketball team, has been selected as one of 10 finalists for the 2021-22 Senior CLASS Award, which is presented annually to student-athletes who excel both on and off the court.
 
Williamson has made a huge impact on both the campus and Chicago communities during his time as a Rambler. The 6-foot-4 guard, who has helped Loyola to three Missouri Valley Conference regular season titles, three postseason appearances, including a trip to the NCAA Final Four (2018) and NCAA Sweet 16 (2021), and a total of 117 wins, was the MVC Defensive Player of the Year and a Second Team All-MVC pick last season.
 
He has taken his game to another level this year, averaging a team-best 13.3 points per game, to go with 4.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game, while draining 42.4 percent (53-for-125) of his three-point attempts. Williamson has scored 20 or more points four times this season and exploded for a career-best 27 points in Loyola's 78-64 victory over Illinois State on February 2. 
 
Off the court, Williamson has been a member of the MVC Honor Roll, and he recently served as a writer and narrator for the powerful documentary The Loyola Project, which chronicles the racism that the Ramblers' 1963 NCAA championship squad had to overcome, and the team's role and impact in forever changing college basketball.
 
To be eligible for the Senior CLASS Award, student-athletes must be classified as seniors or graduate students and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.
 
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement by Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their athletic platforms to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
 
The finalists were chosen by a selection committee from the list of 30 men's candidates and 30 women's candidates announced earlier in the season. Nationwide fan voting begins immediately to help select the winner, and fans are encouraged to submit votes online at the Senior CLASS Award website through March 21. Fan votes will be combined with those of the media and Division I head coaches to determine the winners. The Senior CLASS Award recipients will be announced during the 2022 NCAA Men's Final Four and NCAA Women's Final Four.
 
2021-22 Senior CLASS Award Men's Basketball Finalists
Evan Battey, Colorado
Brad Davison, Wisconsin
Trent Frazier, Illinois
Jacob Gilyard, Richmond
Tanner Groves, Oklahoma
Gavin Kensmil, Stephen F. Austin
Kameron McGusty, Miami
Alex Morales, Wagner
Sasha Stefanovic, Purdue
Lucas Williamson, Loyola