Indianapolis, Ind. - Fighting Illini redshirt senior Sarah Hartwell has been named a nominee for the Allstate Good Works Team, as announced by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and Allstate Insurance Company on Wednesday, Dec. 2. The organization announced an all-time high 257 total nominees for the 2016 Allstate WBCA and NABC Good Works Teams. This distinguished award shines a spotlight on a select group of student-athletes who have shown dedication to community service and altruism in their communities. The final roster of 20 award recipients will be unveiled in February.

A member of the Illini starting lineup, Hartwell spends countless hours volunteering in the Champaign-Urbana community. She is a member of Illinois' Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), and is the leader of the group's Hometown Heroes subcommittee that plans service events throughout the year. She participates in iHelp, a campus-wide day of service, and also participates in the Student-Athletes Leading Social Change (SALSC) organization. Within those organizations, Hartwell has devoted her time to the community, by helping to feel the community's homeless and sending basketballs to schools and orphanages in Ecuador, Africa and Haiti. She is a part of the student-athlete mentoring program and also participates in Habitat for Humanity. 

"Sarah is an amazing young lady," head coach Matt Bollant said. "It has been really fun to watch her grow and to see how thoughtful, kind and giving she is. Her teammates and coaches love her, and she is in for a great senior year."

In its fourth year, the Allstate WBCA and NABC Good Works Teams recognize players at all levels of college basketball who have made outstanding contributions in the areas of volunteerism and civic involvement. From establishing nonprofits that provide youth with the necessary tools to become leaders of tomorrow, to raising awareness around pertinent issues that could save lives, these student-athletes exhibit leadership skills both on and off the court. 

The 103 WBCA nominees and the 154 NABC nominees were submitted by sports information directors and college basketball coaches across the country. From the nominations, special voting panels, headlined by former University of Tennessee basketball athlete, NCAA champion and WNBA legend Tamika Catchings, and former Duke University basketball athlete, two-time NCAA champion and seven-time NBA All-Star Grant Hill, will select two 10-member teams comprised of five student-athletes from the NCAA Division I level and five student-athletes from Divisions II, III and the NAIA. In addition to Clarkson, Catchings and Hill, the 2016 Allstate WBCA and NABC Good Works Team selection panel members include: former college basketball student-athletes Alana Beard (Duke University), and Clark Kellogg (Ohio State University / CBS Sports); media members Carolyn Peck (ESPN), LaChina Robinson (ESPN/FOX), Seth Davis (Sports Illustrated/CBS) and Dana O'Neil (ESPN); former head coaches Marsha Sharp (Texas Tech University), Nell Fortner (Auburn University), Bobby Cremins (Georgia Institute of Tech/College of Charleston) and Seth Greenberg (Virginia Tech University); and current college basketball coach Coquese Washington (Penn State University).

Members of the Allstate WBCA Good Works Team will be invited by Allstate, an official corporate partner of the NCAA, to the 2016 WBCA Convention and the 2016 NCAA Women's Final Four in Indianapolis, where they will participate in a community service project benefitting the city. Members of the Allstate NABC Good Works Team will be recognized during the 2016 NABC Convention and at the 2016 NCAA Men's Final Four in Houston, and will also participate in a local volunteer project. Allstate is an official corporate partner of the WBCA, NABC and NCAA.

More information about the Allstate WBCA Good Works Team and the Allstate NABC Good Works Team is available at www.wbca.org and www.nabc.org.

Arizona State University – Arnecia Hawkins 

Boston College – Alexa Coulombe                

Brown University – Ellise Sharpe                  

California State University, Bakersfield – Alyssa Shannon   

Coastal Carolina University – Olivia Carlton 

Colgate University – Randyll Butler               

College of the Holy Cross – Raquel Scott

DePaul University – Chanise Jenkins           

East Carolina University – DeVaughn Gray  

Florida State University – Brittany Brown      

Fordham University – Danielle Padovano

George Mason University – Taylor Brown

George Washington University – Alexis Chandler

Georgetown University – Ki-Ke Rafiu            

Georgia Institute of Technology – Katarina Vuckovic           

Hofstra University – Sydni Epps                   

Indiana State University – Rhagen Smith      

Iowa State University – Nicole Blaskowsky  

Kansas State University – Kelly Thomson    

Lehigh University – Elizabeth Sharlow          

Liberty University – Ashley Rininger             

Marshall University – McKenzie Akers         

Mississippi State University – Chinwe Okori 

Missouri State University – Kenzie Williams  

Monmouth University –Sarah Olson             

North Carolina State University – Ashley Eli 

Northwestern University – Maggie Lyon       

Oakland University – Elena Popkey              

The Ohio State University – Cait Craft          

Old Dominion University – Jennie Simms

Presbyterian College – Janie Miles               

Purdue University – Hayden Hamby             

Rice University – Alyssa Lang                      

Seattle University – Wilma Afunugo               

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville – Gwen Adams                                                     

St. John's University – Sandra Udobi  Stephen F. Austin State University – LaNesha Middleton                           

Stony Brook University – Brittany Snow                      

Texas A&M University – Jordan Jones        

Texas Christian University – Zahna Medley 

Troy University – Ashley Beverly Kelley

U.S. Military Academy – Aimee Oertner

University of Alabama – Nikki Hegstetter

University of Arkansas – Melissa Wolff

University of California, Los Angeles – Kacy Swain

University of Georgia – Merritt Hempe

University of Houston – Jessieka Palmer

University of Illinois – Sarah Hartwell

University of Iowa – Ally Disterhoft

University of Kansas – Lauren Aldridge

University of Louisville – Cortnee Walton

University of Maine – Elizabeth Wood

University of Maryland Eastern Shore – Chalyse Taylor

University of Maryland, Baltimore County – Emily Russo

University of Nebraska-Lincoln – Rachel Theriot

University of Nevada – Julia Shelbourn

University of New Mexico – Bryce Owens

University of North Carolina - Asheville – Paige Love

University of North Carolina at Greensboro – India Timpton

University of Northern Iowa – Stephanie Davison

University of Oregon – Jillian Alleyne

University of South Carolina – Khadijah Sessions

University of Tennessee – Andraya Carter

University of Tennessee at Martin – Katie Schubert

University of Toledo – Michaela Rasmussen

University of Utah – Danielle Rodriguez

University of Virginia – Faith Randolph

University of Wisconsin-Madison – Nicole Bauman

Valparaiso University – Georgi Donchetz

Vanderbilt University – Kendall Shaw

Wake Forest University – Keri Fulp