Kara Denby One Of 12 Finalists For Byers Scholarship - AuburnTigers.com

Kara Denby One Of 12 Finalists For Byers Scholarship Each Byers Scholar will receive a $24,000 scholarship.

Kara Denby

April 15, 2009

AUBURN - Former Auburn swimmer Kara Denby has been selected by the NCAA Walter Byers Scholarship Committee as one of six finalists for the annual Walter Byers Postgraduate Scholarships.

The Walter Byers Postgraduate Scholarships were established in 1988 and recognize the contributions of former NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers. The awards encourage academic achievement of student-athletes. Each Byers Scholar will receive a $24,000 scholarship.

"We are extremely proud of Kara for once again being recognized as one of the most outstanding student-athletes in the country," Auburn Athletics Director Jay Jacobs said. "Kara is a champion in the pool and a scholar in the classroom, and she embodies what it means to be a true student-athlete."

Recipients of the award must have a 3.5 grade-point average (4.0 scale), demonstrate evidence of superior character and leadership and show that participation in athletics has been a positive influence on their personal and intellectual development. Two finalists, a male and a female, will be selected in April as recipients of the 2009 Walter Byers Postgraduate Scholarships.

Denby was a 24-time All-American, who helped Auburn win two national championships and three Southeastern Conference titles while setting five team records. A member of the U.S. National Team, Denby became a world champion and world record holder (400 medley relay) last spring while ranking eighth in the world in the 100 freestyle.

A native of Simi Valley, Calif., Denby received two SEC Swimming and Diving Scholar-Athlete of the Year and two ESPN first-team Academic All-America honors. Denby graduated in December 2008 with a degree in zoology and will attend medical school. In addition to her academic and athletics pursuits, Denby has been active on campus and in the community, holding leadership positions in three organizations.

The 2009 finalists are Elizabeth Carlton, swimming and diving, Kenyon; Kara Denby, swimming and diving, Auburn; Amy Massey, soccer, Southern California; Tim Masthay, football, Kentucky; Craig Sheedy, swimming and diving, Arizona; and Blake Strode, tennis, Arkansas.