ITHACA, N.Y. — The 2010 college softball season hasn't started yet and Alyson Intihar already is up for another award.

The Seneca Valley graduate and Cornell University senior shortstop — a three-time all-Ivy League selection and the league's 2009 player of the year — is one of 30 national nominees for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award.

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 athletic platform to make an impact as leaders in their communities.

"I feel like it's an honor just being nominated by my school," Intihar said. "It's an accomplishment because it includes everything."

The award is based on the athlete's academic performance, character, community standing and athletic prowess. Intihar is the lone nominee from the Ivy League.

"Aly has such a will to achieve," said Cornell softball coach Dick Blood. "She strives to get better in everything she does."

The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 during the regular season. The 10 names will be distributed through a national voting system involving media, coaches and fans.

The winner will be announced at the NCAA Women's College World Series in June.

Cornell is coming off its first Ivy League championship since 2004, posting a 42-13 record. The school has had women's softball since 1994 and the team's sixth win this year will be the program's 500th overall.

Intihar tied the school record with 51 runs scored last spring and was among the nation's leaders in getting hit by a pitch with 18.

She also led the Big Red with 12 stolen bases in 13 tries.

"She's the ideal leadoff hitter in many ways," Blood said. "But she's a great hitter, period. She'll either bat first or third in our lineup."

Cornell begins the 2010 season Saturday.

"I've never been a numbers person in terms of goals," Intihar said. "Numbers can mess with you too much mentally.

"I just focus on every at bat. If there's someone on base, knock her in. If there's no one on base, get on base. Take care of each at-bat and the numbers will take care of themselves."

Intihar will be a co-captain and is one of three three-year letterwinners on the Big Red roster.

Intihar ranks third on Cornell's all-time career list with a .381 batting average. She ranks sixth with a .583 slugging percentage, third with a .434 on-base percentage and seventh with an .871 stolen base percentage.

This season, she needs 28 runs scored, 39 hits, nine doubles, 22 stolen bases and three sacrifice flies to become the school's all-time leader in those respective categories.

Intihar is Cornell's career leader in getting hit by a pitch with 25.

"She's such a gutsy, gritty player," Blood said. "She set our school record for women with a clean-press of 185 pounds in the weight room this offseason. She never stops working.

"Aly is going to provide great leadership for this program through her tremendous motivation."

Intihar is scheduled to graduate in May and plans to get her master's degree later, but she wants to enter the work force first.

"It's time I introduced myself to the working world," she said. "I don't plan on playing softball beyond this year.

"Eventually, I can see myself coaching some place, high school, Little League or wherever. Softball has been too big a part of my life to drop it totally. I'm sure I'll be involved."

Right now, she's involved in leading her team to a repeat Ivy League title and a deep NCAA playoff run.

"We're planning on getting back there, but it's going to take a lot of work," Intihar said. "No one is going to hand us anything."