The NCAA News - News and Features

The NCAA News -- April 12, 1999

Field narrowed to six for Walter Byers scholarships

Finalists have been selected for the two Walter Byers Scholarships, which will be awarded this spring by the Association.

The finalists, three women and three men, will be interviewed April 19 in Orlando, Florida, by the NCAA Walter Byers Scholarship Committee, which will select the two recipients.

The women's finalists are Gladys Ganiel, who helped the Providence College cross country team to a national championship; Rikke Pedersen, a two-time NCAA all-America track and cross country participant at Northern Arizona University; and Katherine Pesek, the 1998 platform diving champion from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

The men's finalists are Eric Brands, a place-kicker from Alma College who holds the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association record for the longest field goal; Aaron Harries, a two-time national champion in water polo at the University of California, Los Angeles; and Samuel Thigpen, a track and cross country runner from the University of Mississippi.

Each Byers scholar receives a $10,000 scholarship from the NCAA. The awards 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 must 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.