Burns Wins NCAA's Prestigious Walter Byers Scholarship
4/23/2008 10:10:55 AM | Women's Cross Country, Women's Track & Field
Lauren Biggers -- Assistant SID
DAVIDSON, N.C. — Senior women's cross country and track standout Brenna Burns has been awarded the NCAA Walter Byers Postgraduate Scholarship, as selected by the NCAA Walter Byers Scholarship Committee and announced by the NCAA.
The first student-athlete in Davidson history to win the award, Burns was chosen after being named one of three women semifinalists. Stanford gymnast Dylan Carney was named the male finalist. Other semifinalists included University of Michigan women's swimmer Valeria Silva Merea, Willamette University women's cross country and track runner Sarah Zerzan, St. John's University men's soccer player Jeffrey Stepan and Unversity of Florida men's swimmer Kevin Nead.
"It's very hard to capture with words my reaction to winning the Byers scholarship," Burns said. "I feel extremely grateful to the committee members and the NCAA. This generous scholarship will play a crucial role in my future graduate school goals. When I first heard the good news from Annie Kearns, I automatically thought of all the people who have helped me reach this point as a student-athlete. I hope that they know how lucky I feel to have been blessed with their support throughout college."
"I could not be more proud of Brenna!" women's cross country and track head coach Jen Straub said. "She exemplifies what a student-athlete should be not only at Davidson College, but across the entire NCAA. It has been my privilege to work with her, and I am excited to see what great things the future holds for her!"
A standout both athletically and academically, Burns holds five Davidson records (the indoor 3,000 meters, the indoor and outdoor 5,000 meters, the outdoor 10,000 meters and the 5K) and has been named to the All-Southern Conference team four times—three in cross country and once in track. In addition to her record-setting performances, Burns, a psychology major, was named to the COSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Team, Omicron Delta Kappa (National Leadership Society) and Psi Chi (National Honor Society in Psychology), and she was named the Most Outstanding Track Performer at the 2007 Indoor Southern Conference championships.
Burns has also been extremely active on her campus and in the community. She is a member of Changing Minds, Davidson's mental health awareness club and has volunteered in many capacities—as a tutor for Carolina Applied Behavior Analysis Service, an instructor for autistic children at a non-profit treatment center and a coach for Girls on the Run International.
Burns plans to begin working as a residential teacher at the New England Center for Children (NECC), a nonprofit autism education center and the world's leading autism treatment center, in July. She will then pursue a PhD in applied developmental psychology, with hopes of working long-term with children in an autism treatment center.
"As I become established in my career, I plan to develop pro bono programs for low-income families, given the staggering expense of many autistic interventions," Burns said. "I also want to devote a portion of my time to research, such as further developing my current senior thesis work, which examines the effects of a treadmill running intervention on core autistic symptoms."
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 $21,500 scholarship.
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.
The first student-athlete in Davidson history to win the award, Burns was chosen after being named one of three women semifinalists. Stanford gymnast Dylan Carney was named the male finalist. Other semifinalists included University of Michigan women's swimmer Valeria Silva Merea, Willamette University women's cross country and track runner Sarah Zerzan, St. John's University men's soccer player Jeffrey Stepan and Unversity of Florida men's swimmer Kevin Nead.
"It's very hard to capture with words my reaction to winning the Byers scholarship," Burns said. "I feel extremely grateful to the committee members and the NCAA. This generous scholarship will play a crucial role in my future graduate school goals. When I first heard the good news from Annie Kearns, I automatically thought of all the people who have helped me reach this point as a student-athlete. I hope that they know how lucky I feel to have been blessed with their support throughout college."
"I could not be more proud of Brenna!" women's cross country and track head coach Jen Straub said. "She exemplifies what a student-athlete should be not only at Davidson College, but across the entire NCAA. It has been my privilege to work with her, and I am excited to see what great things the future holds for her!"
A standout both athletically and academically, Burns holds five Davidson records (the indoor 3,000 meters, the indoor and outdoor 5,000 meters, the outdoor 10,000 meters and the 5K) and has been named to the All-Southern Conference team four times—three in cross country and once in track. In addition to her record-setting performances, Burns, a psychology major, was named to the COSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Team, Omicron Delta Kappa (National Leadership Society) and Psi Chi (National Honor Society in Psychology), and she was named the Most Outstanding Track Performer at the 2007 Indoor Southern Conference championships.
Burns has also been extremely active on her campus and in the community. She is a member of Changing Minds, Davidson's mental health awareness club and has volunteered in many capacities—as a tutor for Carolina Applied Behavior Analysis Service, an instructor for autistic children at a non-profit treatment center and a coach for Girls on the Run International.
Burns plans to begin working as a residential teacher at the New England Center for Children (NECC), a nonprofit autism education center and the world's leading autism treatment center, in July. She will then pursue a PhD in applied developmental psychology, with hopes of working long-term with children in an autism treatment center.
"As I become established in my career, I plan to develop pro bono programs for low-income families, given the staggering expense of many autistic interventions," Burns said. "I also want to devote a portion of my time to research, such as further developing my current senior thesis work, which examines the effects of a treadmill running intervention on core autistic symptoms."
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 $21,500 scholarship.
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.
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