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Walter Byers Scholarship winners announced

Palmer and Holmes each will receive a $10,000 scholarship from the Association. They were selected from among six finalists who were interviewed April 28-29 in St. Louis by the NCAA Walter Byers Scholarship Committee.

The Byers scholarships were established in 1988 to recognize the contributions of the former NCAA executive director by encouraging excellence in academic performance by student-athletes.

Award recipients are required to have at least a 3.500 grade-point average (4.000 scale), show evidence of superior character and leadership, and demonstrate that participation in athletics has been a positive influence on personal and intellectual development, among other qualifications.

Following is a look at this year's Byers scholars and their accomplishments:

Palmer

Winner of the 1995 Gagliardi Trophy as Division III's most outstanding football player, Palmer holds several school records in receiving and kick returns.

He helped St. John's to a 39-5-2 record in four years and guided the Johnnies to semifinal appearances in the 1993 and 1994 Division III Football Championship. He has hauled in 165 career passes for more than 3,100 yards and 36 touchdowns. He finished his career as the Johnnies' fourth all-time leading scorer.

He is a three-time all-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference selection and was named the 1995 MIAC player of the year.

Palmer also was named the 1995 GTE Academic All-America Team Member of the Year in the college division. A two-time MIAC all-academic choice, Palmer also was awarded an NCAA postgraduate scholarship last fall.

Palmer, who will attend medical school, has compiled a 3.944 grade-point average in biology and will graduate later this month. He has served two medical internships and has visited the Columbus Speech and Hearing Clinic and The James Cancer Hospital and Research Institute in association with the Woody Hayes National Scholar-Athlete Award.

Holmes

Holmes has qualified and competed in more than 80 percent of the tournaments Kentucky has participated in over the last four years. Her top career finishes include a 10th place tie at the 1992 South Carolina Invitational, a 10th place tie at the 1994 Tiger-Tide Invitational, a tie for 15th place at the 1993 Kentucky Invitational and a 17th place finish at the 1991 NCAA Preview. She also competed in the 1992 National Collegiate Women's Golf Championships.

A two-time academic all-American, Holmes also is a three-time Southeastern Conference all-academic choice. She also was one of five recipients of a True-Temper scholar-athlete award in 1993.

A frequent volunteer at the Catholic Newman Center and the Shriners Hospital in Lexington, Holmes has compiled a 4.000 grade-point average majoring in English and will graduate later this month. She was the recruiting and event officer of Societas Pro Legibus, Kentucky's only prelaw society. Holmes plans to attend law school after graduation.