Xavier University's Lauren Clary is used to being in the lead. After all, she's spent her entire four-year career at the No. 1 singles and doubles slots for the women's tennis team.

Phillip B. Barr, a swimming student-athlete at Bates College, also is accustomed to setting the pace for his teammates. He developed positive team policies that promote responsible social behavior and inspired a serious practice attitude by advocating for dedicated off-season conditioning.

Given their lofty credentials, it is no surprise that Clary and Barr have been named this year's NCAA Sportsmanship Award national winners. Presented by the NCAA Committee on Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct, the honor recognizes student-athletes for more than their athletics prowess. Eligible student-athletes must demonstrate the characteristics of sportsmanship, show proper and ethical behavior in daily participation in athletics competition, show good sportsmanship outside of competition, and be in good academic standing.

Clary and Barr were selected from a group of 56 nominees that was narrowed to a pool of six -- a male and female winner from each division -- that included William Burroughs, a football student-athlete at Brown University; Sherry Keech, a volleyball and softball student-athlete at Georgian Court College; Michael Williams, a basketball student-athlete from Bryant University; and Lisa Schroyer, a field hockey, basketball and tennis student-athlete at Wilson College.

For the second time in the six-year history of the award, conferences were encouraged to forward the names of a male and female candidate. The 36 leagues and independent member institutions that did so this year numbered slightly less than the 44 conferences that participated in 2004.

The three-time Atlantic-10 Conference student-athlete of the year, Clary completed her Xavier tennis career as the most decorated student-athlete in the history of the program. The four-time all-conference selection led the Musketeers to four consecutive winning seasons, while her 115-25 singles record and 103-27 doubles mark made Clary the winningest tennis student-athlete in school history.

However, Clary realizes that there's more to being a student-athlete than the records and recognition.

"What has helped me is realizing that there is a life after college sports. People won't really remember exactly your wins and losses or your records. They are going to remember how you treated other people and how you acted on the court or field," she said.

The graduated senior has applied that wisdom off the court, and others have taken note. Clary was named as the 2004-05 winner of the Atlantic-10 Sporting Award. A 2002-03 NCAA Leadership Conference participant, Clary also was active with the Student-Athlete Advisory Council on campus, and she volunteered regularly at the Rape Crisis and Abuse Center in Hamilton County, Ohio.

For Barr, the chance to compete in a conference championship was significant, since he spent a year recovering from injuries sustained in a fire. He returned to the pool for his senior season only to be diagnosed with pneumonia just two days before the competition. In spite of the diagnosis, Barr swam a leg of a relay at the championships. The performance was good enough to earn Bates a spot in the final. Knowing there were faster swimmers on the team, Barr made the decision to relinquish his position in the relay for the final heat.

"My feeling was that if we could score more points, if we could go faster, if we could break a team record, if we could do anything with someone faster in there, then why not? I would be there to cheer them on and encourage them to do a good job, too," Barr said.

The gesture stands out even more when realizing just how far Barr had to come to enjoy that particular moment. In February 2003, Barr was attending a concert at The Station Night Club in West Warrick, Rhode Island, when pyrotechnics exploded and the club burst into flames. Although more than 100 people died in the blaze that made national news, Barr was trampled and lay unconscious in the fire for several minutes before reviving and fighting his way out. His injuries were so severe that he was placed in a 21-day induced coma. When he was released from the hospital, he had just 45 percent lung capacity.

A year of grueling rehabilitation followed.

"By the time I got back to school, I was even uncertain of how much I'd be able to do with the team. I actually came back to the team to participate and do it for my health and to keep increasing my lung capacity. It turned into swimming competitively again," he said.

Barr swam with diminished lung capacity for the entire season. Contracting pneumonia just before what would likely be his final collegiate competition was disappointing, but Barr showed up to cheer on his teammates. The chance to participate was unexpected.

"I had worked all season to get back," Barr said. "My coach recognized that. I was thrilled just to go and try and do something. Doing that relay was probably the absolute highlight of that day."

Since then, Barr has gone on to do what he could to make the future brighter for other survivors of the tragic fire. He, along with several other survivors and volunteers, organized the Station Family Fund when it became apparent that state funds and other types of aid that had been promised were not coming to fruition or were running out.

So far the group has raised about $750,000, most of which has been turned over to survivors and families of the deceased.

Clary and Barr will be recognized next spring by the Citizenship Through Sports Alliance, an NCAA partner group that consists of professional, collegiate, high-school and Olympic organizations.