Tennis standout Anna Hallbergson of Barry University and swimmer Matthew Busbee of Auburn University are this year's recipients of the NCAA's Walter Byers Scholarships.

Hallbergson and Busbee each will receive a $12,500 scholarship from the Association. They were selected from among six finalists from all divisions who were interviewed May 1 in La Jolla, California, 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 the Byers scholars:

Hallbergson

A native of Sweden, Hallbergson was a tennis all-American in 1998 and helped Barry to third- and seventh-place finishes in the NCAA Division II Championship in 1998 and 1999, respectively.

Hallbergson, who sports a perfect grad-point average, plans to attend medical school and eventually practice medicine. She has worked on several international projects, including having spent a summer with the Department of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology at Orebro Medical Centre in Sweden.

At Barry, Hallbergson has served with the American Medical Student Association, the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, the Ambassador Program and the school's Community Service Team. She twice was named the Barry Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year (1998-99) and was awarded the National Collegiate Natural Sciences Award and the National Collegiate Medical Professions Award.

A biology major as an undergraduate, Hallbergson has not selected the school she will attend after graduation.

Busbee

A former walk-on, Busbee helped Auburn to two NCAA Division I Men's Swimming and Diving Championships and three Southeastern Conference titles. He also was selected to try out for the 1996 Olympic Games despite swimming for less than two years competitively.

During his swimming career, Busbee claimed two NCAA titles (200-yard freestyle) and four SEC titles. He was named all-American 10 times and was a member of the 1999 U.S. Pan American Games team. He also was a finalist for the Amateur Athletic Union's James E. Sullivan Memorial Award. Busbee holds the U.S. Open and NCAA record in the 200-yard freestyle at 1:16.50.

Busbee also has a solid community-service record. He was named to Auburn's President's Student Leadership Program, and he has volunteered at Camp Smile-A-Mile, a camp for children who have cancer. He also has worked for Habitat for Humanity and has served as an assistant during the Dixie Wheelchair Games.

After graduating as a junior, Busbee, a biomedical sciences major, has started working toward a master's degree in business administration. He eventually plans on attending medical school and working in orthopedics.