When Bucknell soccer player Jesse Klug talked publicly for the first time about being gay, he was one of the few NCAA Division 1 men's team-sport athletes to do so. That was 2013. In the last two years, Klug has gone on to join the history books as one of Bucknell's best soccer players of all time and help lead the conversation toward a more inclusive environment in college sports. He currently ranks in the top 10 in school history in both goals and points.
Now he's nominated for the prestigious Senior CLASS Award, which recognizes excellence across disciplines among seniors in NCAA sports. According to the award's Web site, "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."
From the school's press release:
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.
Klug has exhibited all that and more. And what a powerful statement it would be to see an out gay man win this award. Please be sure to head to the Senior CLASS Award site and vote for Klug. You can do that by copying this URL and pasting it into your browser (for some reason a link from this page won't work): http://www.seniorclassaward.com/vote/mens_soccer_2015/
You can vote once every day.