Full Senior CLASS Release

FAIRFAX, Va. – George Mason University men's basketball graduate student D'Shawn Schwartz has been named one of 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award, which recognizes student-athletes who achieve tremendous success both on and off the court.
 
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 candidates will be narrowed to a field of ten finalists later in the season, and those names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will then select the candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four C's.
 
The Senior CLASS Award winners will be announced during the 2022 NCAA Men's Final Four® and NCAA Women's Final Four® this spring.
 
Schwartz is a natural fit for the Senior CLASS Award because of his tireless work ethic, his natural leadership ability, his outstanding performance on the court and his emphasis on achievement in the classroom and the community.
 
Classroom
Schwartz is currently enrolled in George Mason's Master's in Business Analytics program.
He hopes to pursue a career as a music producer when his playing career has finished.
 
Schwartz graduated from Colorado in May 2021, earning his degree in business administration. He carried a 3.18 GPA and was named a 2020 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar. Diverse Magazine created the award to honor students of color who exemplify the standards set by the great Arthur Ashe Jr. In addition, Schwartz was named to the 2018-19 Pac-12 All-Academic second team.
 
Character
Schwartz is of extremely high character and leads by example. He as only missed one practice in five years, which was due to a broken nose. Schwartz's sense of determination is inspirational to his teammates and motivates them to work even harder.
 
Since arriving at George Mason, Schwartz has adapted from his quiet, lead by example style to become more vocal in an effort to help the coaching staff build their culture and uphold their standards to the program. He knows what needs to be done and is willing to step out of his comfort zone to do it.
 
Schwartz has the ability to engage with all types of people and has been quick to build strong relationships at George Mason.
 
Community
Schwartz was selected as one of only four recipients of the Byron R. White Leadership and Initiative Award at Colorado. It's given to student-athletes who have exhibited outstanding initiative and demonstrated a strong commitment to service to the CU and Boulder communities.
 
He also worked with Colorado's Academic Futures Department to submit a Community White Paper called "Building a Community via a Recording Space," where he asked the university to create a studio and recording space for students.
 
In his time at George Mason, Schwartz has served the greater Fairfax and Washington D.C., area at basketball clinics and town festivals.
 
Competition
Schwartz has made a tremendous impact in his first season in Fairfax. He ranks second on the team in scoring and 3-pointers made and third in rebounding. He led Mason with 26 points in the program's first ever road win over a ranked team – a 71-66 win at #21 Maryland on Nov. 17. He also tallied a career-best 29 points in Mason's game vs. South Dakota State in the Crossover Classic.
 
Schwartz enjoyed four years of on-court success at Colorado before joining the Patriots. In his last three seasons with the Buffaloes, he started 95 of a possible 97 games.
 
Last season, Schwartz averaged 9.3 points per game and ranked eighth in the conference in three-point percentage (.400). He averaged 15.0 points per game while making a nice run with Colorado in the NCAA Tournament. For his career with the Buffaloes, Schwartz recorded 1,026 points. He ranked seventh in program history in three-pointers made (156) and ninth in games played (129).
 
Senior CLASS Award Candidates
Alex Barcello, BYU
Evan Battey, Colorado
Jules Bernard, UCLA
Buddy Boeheim, Syracuse
Eli Brooks, Michigan
Garrison Brooks, Mississippi State
Brad Davison, Wisconsin
Anthony Duruji, Florida
Trent Frazier, Illinois
John Fulkerson, Tennessee
Jacob Gilyard, Richmond
Tanner Groves, Oklahoma
Tate Hall, Loyola Chicago
Ron Harper Jr., Rutgers
John Harrar, Penn State
Ryan Hawkins, Creighton
ShanQuan Hemphill, Drake
Myles Johnson, UCLA
Jarkel Joiner, Ole Miss
Gavin Kensmil, Stephen F. Austin
Isaac Likekele, Oklahoma State
Kameron McGusty, Miami
Alex Morales, Wagner
Justyn Mutts, Virginia Tech
Austin Phyfe, Northern Iowa
D'Shawn Schwartz, George Mason
Eli Scott, Loyola Marymount
Sasha Stefanovic, Purdue
Hunter Tyson, Clemson
Lucas Williamson, Loyola Chicago