OVERLAND PARK, KS—NJIT senior Rene White joins a list of 60 NCAA men's and women's student-athletes selected as 2020-21 Senior CLASS Award candidates.

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. 

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.

White, the active NCAA men's soccer career goals (37) and points leader (80) while ranking second in goals per game (0.66), has played in two matches this season, netting three goals and six points.  He scored a pair of goals in the Highlanders 4-2 win over Binghamton on March 23.

The forward from nearby Bloomfield, NJ, tops the NJIT Division I record books with 37 goals and 80 points.

A season ago, White earned United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-America second-team and first-team All-Atlantic Region.

The 2019 ASUN Player of the Year, ASUN first-team and ASUN All-Tournament team honoree was NJIT's DI single season leader in goals (17) and ranked fifth in the nation in goals.

White netted 17 goals in 19 NJIT matches, posting his second career hat trick in the Highlanders 5-0 shutout victory over Jacksonville to clinch the ASUN Conference regular season title - the first-ever ASUN title for an NJIT team at the Division I level.

A two-time ASUN Conference All-Academic team and United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-East Region selectee, White completed his undergraduate degree in December 2020, cum laude, boosting a 3.668 GPA in business with a concentration in financial technology.  White, who was named to the Dean's List for six semesters, is enrolled in the master's program of Science & Management.

White was selected in the third round of the 2021 Major League Soccer SuperDraft by Real Salt Lake.  He becomes the second Highlander to be drafted to the MLS in the last four years -- Mamadou Guirassy (Portland Timbers; fourth round selection in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft).

Guirassy was selected one of 10 Senior CLASS Award finalists in 2017.  That year, Guirassy led the nation in goals with (16).

Each of the 60 candidates has displayed a strong work ethic in the classroom and on the pitch. Outside of academics and athletics, all candidates have also been consistently involved in community service on their campus or in their communities.

Each of the two candidate classes will be narrowed to 10 finalists in April, 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 male candidate and one female candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character, and competition. 

The Senior CLASS Award winners will be announced during the 2021 NCAA Men's and Women's College Cup ® championships in May.

Stay up to date during the 2021 NJIT men's soccer season by following @NJITSoccer on Twitter and Instagram and liking the NJIT Men's Soccer page on Facebook.

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