Walter Byers Scholarship

The Walter Byers Scholar (also known as Walter Byers Scholarship, and Walter Byers Postgraduate Scholarship) program is a scholarship program that recognizes the top male and female student-athlete in NCAA sports and that is awarded annually by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It is considered to be the NCAA's highest academic award.[1][2] The NCAA initiated the Walter Byers Scholarship program in 1988 in recognition of the service of Walter Byers. The award is a postgraduate scholarship program designed to encourage excellence in academic performance by student-athletes. The recipients each year are the one male and one female student-athlete who has combined the best elements of mind and body to achieve national distinction for his or her achievements, and who promises to be a future leader in his or her chosen field of career service. Winners receive scholarships for postgraduate study.[3]

Details

As of 2011, the stipend for each Byers Scholarship was $24,000 for an academic year.[4] The scholarship amount is adjusted for the cost of living. The grant may be renewed for a second year based on academic progress. Financial need is not a factor in the granting of these scholarships. United States citizenship is not required to satisfy eligibility requirements. Awards from other sources will not disqualify an applicant, except that an awardee may not use more than one NCAA postgraduate scholarship.[3] The Walter Byers Postgraduate Scholarship Program is separate and distinct from the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Program, which provides annual awards with smaller stipends.[3]

The five-person Walter Byers Scholarship Committee, established by the NCAA membership and appointed by the NCAA Divisions I, II and III Management Councils, administers the program. The committee membership is required to include at least one man and one woman, at least one member from each division and subdivision of Division I, and one member each from Division II and Division III.[5]

Among the most recognized for post-athletic career accomplishments are Randal Pinkett and Rob Pelinka. Of the winners the one most notable for having gone professional in his or her sport is National Football League veteran Rob Zatechka, who later went on to medical school.[6]

Some winners have won other notable awards. The following lists dual winners of certain awards:

Winners

The historical winners are as follows:[7]

Year Male Female
Athlete Sport School Athlete Sport School
1989 Richard HallBasketballBall State University Regina CavanaghTrack and fieldRice University
1990 Dean SmithBasketballUniversity of Maine Linda PopovichVolleyballBowling Green State University
1991 J. David BrownTrack and field
Cross country		University of Iowa Marie RoethlisbergerGymnasticsUniversity of Minnesota
1992 David HoneaCross countryNorth Carolina State University Sigall KassuttoGymnasticsUniversity of California, Berkeley
1993 Rob PelinkaBasketballUniversity of Michigan Sheryl KlemmeBasketballSaint Joseph's College (Indiana)
1994 Randal PinkettTrack and fieldRutgers University Christa GannonBasketballUniversity of California, Santa Barbara
1995 Robert ZatechkaFootballUniversity of Nebraska–Lincoln Carla AinsworthSwimmingKenyon College
1996 Christopher PalmerFootballSt. John's University (Minnesota) Tracey HolmesGolfUniversity of Kentucky
1997 Scott KeaneTrack and fieldUniversity of Cincinnati Marya MorusiewiczVolleyballBarry University
1998 Robert "Brad" GrayFootballMassachusetts Institute of Technology Marsha HarrisBasketballNew York University
1999 Samuel "Calvin" ThigpenTrack and field
Cross country		University of Mississippi Gladys GanielTrack and field
Cross country		Providence College
2000 Matthew BusbeeSwimmingAuburn University Anna HallbergsonTennisBarry University
2001 Bradley HendersonBasketballUniversity of Chicago Kimberly BlackSwimmingUniversity of Georgia
2002 Kyle EashFootball
Track and field		Illinois Wesleyan University Claudia VeritasLacrosseWellesley College
2003 McLain "Mac" SchneiderFootballUniversity of North Dakota Natalie HalbachGymnasticsUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
2004 Joaquin ZalacainTennisUniversity of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Corrin DrakulichTrack and fieldUniversity of Georgia
2005 Matthew GunnTrack and field
Cross country		University of Arkansas Sarah DanceSwimmingTruman State University
2006 Bryan NorringtonTrack and fieldColorado College Annie BersagelTrack and field
Cross country		Wake Forest University
2007 Dane ToddFootballUniversity of Nebraska–Lincoln Katie KingsburyTennisWashington and Lee University
2008 Dylan CarneyGymnasticsStanford University Brenna BurnsTrack and field
Cross country		Davidson College
2009 Craig SheedyDivingUniversity of Arizona Amy MasseySoccerUniversity of Southern California
2010 Joshua MahoneyFootballUniversity of Northern Iowa Katherine TheisenTrack and field
Cross country		University of St. Thomas
2011 J. David GatzSwimmingOhio Wesleyan University Jessica PixlarTrack and field
Cross country		Seattle Pacific University
2012 Miles BattyTrack and field
Cross Country		Brigham Young University Kelsey WardSwimmingDrury University
2013 Matt HornSoccerWinthrop University Alexa DulingTrack and fieldUniversity of South Dakota
2014 Kyle BodenFootballEmory and Henry College Karenee DemerySoccerCalifornia State University, Stanislaus
2015 Tofey James "T.J." Leon IVSwimmingAuburn University Lucinda KauffmanField HockeyShippensburg University of Pennsylvania
2016 Mitchell BlackTrack and FieldTufts University Katherine RiojasSoccerUniversity of Tulsa
2017 George BugarinovicBasketballJohns Hopkins University Nandini MehtaSoccerNorthwestern University
2018 Michael SewardHockeyHarvard University Jennifer CarmichaelTrack and FieldUniversity of Oklahoma
2019 Derek SoledFencingYale University Rachael AckerSwimmingUniversity of California, Berkeley
2020 Xavier GonzalezTennisHarvard University Kayla LelandCross Country
Basketball
Track and Field		Whitworth University
2021 Ivo CerdaSoccerUniversity of Michigan Asia SeidtSwimmingUniversity of Kentucky

See also

Notes
  1. "Two Track and Field Student-Athletes Earn NCAA's Highest Academic Award". The National Collegiate Athletic Association. May 11, 2006. Retrieved January 25, 2008.
  2. "NCAA Highest Academic Honor Awarded to Tennis and Football Student-Athletes". The National Collegiate Athletic Association. May 1, 2006. Retrieved January 25, 2008.
  3. "Walter Byers Postgraduate Scholarship Program". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved January 25, 2008.
  4. Lawrence, Marta (April 29, 2011). "Gatz, Pixler win Byers Scholarships: Ohio Wesleyan swimmer, SPU runner win '11 honors". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved September 8, 2011.
  5. "Walter Byers Scholarship Committee". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved January 25, 2008.
  6. "Medical students unveil Match Day destinations". University of Nebraska Medical Center. March 19, 2004. Retrieved January 26, 2008.
  7. "Previous Walter Byers Scholars". The National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved January 25, 2008.
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