Football | September 26, 2019

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Western Michigan senior quarterback Jon Wassink was one of 30 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision student-athletes selected as a candidate for the 2019 Senior CLASS Award. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I FBS 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. 

Earlier this week, Wassink was named as a semifinalist for the 2019 William V. Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda. 

Wassink, a 6-2, 208-pound Grand Rapids, Mich., native has helped Western Michigan's offense to a quick start in 2019 as the Broncos lead the Mid-American Conference in scoring offense (38.8 points/game), total offense (515.2 yards/game) and pass efficiency (164.1) while standing second in passing offense (313.2 yards/game) and third in rushing offense (202.0 yards/game). Wassink has completed 58-of-82 passes for 866 yards and seven touchdowns against just two interceptions. He is averaging 288.7 yards passing per tilt this fall.

In the classroom, Wassink graduated from Western Michigan in December with a degree in accountancy and 3.95 cumulative grade-point average. A two-time All-MAC Academic Football Team selection, Wassink has also been a two-time MAC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete and named to the WMU Dean's List every semester on campus.

Off the field, Wassink is part of the Bronco Buddies program at the Tree of Life, a school that provides a Christ-centered education to all children regardless of socio-economic status. He has been a four-year member of the program, taking part in its once-a-month activities on Sundays. Events include trips to go swimming, bowling or visit the zoo. During the spring of 2016, Wassink traveled to the Dominican Republic and helped build a basketball court for a village of 100 people. He also helped repair fences for a community bridge used by villagers daily and gained perspective and purpose through his work.

To determine the final Senior CLASS Award winner, the 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular 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 select one candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition. Along with the winner, the 10 finalists will be awarded Senior CLASS Award first- or second-team honors.

The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the football bowl season in early January. For more information on the candidates, visit seniorCLASSaward.com.

Senior CLASS Award Candidates
Hakeem Adeniji, Kansas
Tremayne Anchrum, Clemson
Mohamed Barry, Nebraska
Shaun Bradley, Temple
Khalil Brooks, Middle Tennessee
Derrick Brown, Auburn
Travis Bruffy, Texas Tech
Myles Bryant, Washington
Johnny Den Bleyker, UCLA
Reese Donahue, West Virginia
Dominik Eberle, Utah State
Blake Gillikin, Penn State
Jeff Gladney, TCU
Justin Herbert, Oregon
Sterling Hofrichter, Syracuse
Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma
Ray Lima, Iowa State
Bryan London II, Texas State
Zack Moss, Utah
Lucas Niang, TCU
Danny Pinter, Ball State
Sean Pollard, Clemson
Zach Shackelford, Texas
Bryce Torneden, Kansas
Alex Turner, East Carolina
Jon Wassink, Western Michigan
Evan Weaver, California
Nick Westbrook, Indiana
Darryl Williams, Mississippi State
Dustin Woodard, Memphis

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