Senior midfielder Tim Edwards of the Canisius College men's lacrosse team has been named one of 20 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award, announced on Wednesday. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be a senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – classroom, character, community 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 the community.

On the field, Edwards has enjoyed one of the more successful careers in the Canisius Blue and Gold. Four games into his senior season, Edwards ranks 12th in school history with 126 career points and eighth with 73 career assists. The Jamesville, N.Y. native became the second Griff to be selected in the Major League Lacrosse Draft in January when the Chesapeake Bayhawks chose him with the 41st pick.

A three-time all-conference selection and the 2012 MAAC Rookie of the Year, Edwards led the Griffs during the 2014 campaign in points (44), assists (29), ground balls (83) and faceoff percentage (.611). He ranked eighth nationally with his .611 faceoff percentage, 14th with 1.93 assists per game and 29th with 5.53 ground balls per game. In four games this season, Edwards has totaled 11 points, five goals and six assists.

Off the field, Edwards maintains a 3.40 grade point average as a finance major and is a two-time selection to the MAAC All-Academic Team. He is also a two-time team captain, while volunteering his time as a coach with CNY Arrows in addition to working with St. Luke's Soup Kitchen and Meals on Wheels in the Buffalo area.

The 20 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists later in the season, and those 10 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. The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced in conjunction with the 2015 NCAA Men's Lacrosse National Championship in May.

Edwards and the Griffs are back in action on Tuesday, March 10 with a road game at Hobart. First face off is scheduled for 7 p.m.