Sept. 25, 2007

Kansas City, Mo. - Candidates for the recently-added divisions of men's soccer and women's soccer were announced today for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, presented annually in eight NCAA Division I sports to a senior student athlete who excels both on and off the field. Twenty male and twenty female players have been selected as candidates for the 2007 soccer awards, based on personal qualities that define a complete student athlete. While the on-the-field performance during their collegiate soccer careers is a factor in determining candidates and the eventual winner, their personal character and off-the-field achievements in the classroom and community are major areas of focus.

On the men's side, 19 universities and 10 conferences are represented, which includes Fordham senior midfielder Kevin Meyer (South Windsor, Conn./East Catholic).

From the list of 20 candidates in each sport, a national media committee will select 10 finalists in both divisions in October for the 2007 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. Those ten names will then be placed on the official ballot for a nationwide vote beginning October 16 and concluding November 21. Fan balloting will be coupled with votes from coaches, media and sponsors to determine the recipient of the award. Winners will be announced during the NCAA Soccer Championships, scheduled on December 7-9 in College Station, Texas, for women and December 14-16 in Cary, N.C. for men.

"We are excited to get the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award started for the 2007-08 academic school year," said Bob Gfeller, Lowe's senior vice president of marketing and advertising. "With the addition of men's and women's soccer, the awards program is active on college campuses from fall through spring, recognizing student athletes for pursuing excellence in all facets of life. Each of these 2007 soccer candidates has demonstrated tremendous characteristics in the classroom and their community as well as on the playing field."

A Business Administration major with a concentration in Finance, Meyer is a two-year captain of the Fordham men's soccer team, and has been a staple in the line-up for the past four seasons. Since his freshman season, he has been one of the driving forces for the rejuvenation of Fordham men's soccer, and has led the team in scoring each of the last two seasons, racking up six game-winning goals. Last season, he earned Second Team All-Atlantic 10 and Third Team All-Mid-Atlantic Region honors.

In the classroom, Meyer was named to the Dean's List last semester, as well as to the Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll. He was also one of over 200 Fordham student-athletes honored at the Athletic Department's "Breakfast for Champions" that acknowledges all student-athletes with a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

Meyer has also completed two internships in 2007. During the spring semester, he interned with Merrill Lynch, while over the summer he worked for FIFA, the international governing body for soccer. While there, he dealt with different aspects of FIFA, including marketing, business, and discipline.

Going along with the Jesuit motto of "being a person for others", Meyer is active off the soccer pitch as well, serving his fellow student-athletes on the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, as the men's soccer representative. He has been instrumental in the development of the Breakfast for Champions event, and has been a speaker for it as well.

He has also volunteered at the New York Botanical Gardens in the Family Garden area, teaching families and children about nature and places of interest in the Botanical Gardens, as well as volunteering at Mt. Sinai Hospital, as an activity coordinator for young cancer patients.

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the award was launched during the 2001-02 season in response to the trend of college basketball players leaving college early to turn professional. The award was conceived by sportscaster Dick Enberg, who continues to serve as Honorary Chairman, and has recognized winners in men's and women's basketball for six years.

Lowe's extended the award in the spring of 2007 to include four other NCAA sports: baseball, softball, men's hockey and men's lacrosse. With the addition of men's and women's soccer in fall 2007, a total of eight sports are now included in the awards program.

ABOUT THE AWARD An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award honors the attributes of senior student athletes in four areas: classroom, community, character and competition. The award program is designed exclusively for college seniors who are utilizing their complete athletic eligibility, remaining committed to their universityand pursuing the many rewards that a senior season can bring. For more information, visit www.seniorclassaward.com.

ABOUT LOWE'S With fiscal year 2005 sales of $43.2 billion, Lowe's Companies, Inc. is a FORTUNE® 50 company that serves approximately 12 million customers a week at more than 1,360 home improvement stores in 49 states. Based in Mooresville, N.C., the 60-year old company is the second-largest home improvement retailer in the world. For more information, visit www.Lowes.com. NCAA is a trademark of the National Collegiate Athletic Association