Sarah Dance

Sarah Dance

Sport
Sport	Swimming
College team	Truman Bulldogs

Sarah Dance was the female winner of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's highest academic honor, the 2005 Walter Byers Award, in recognition of being the nation's top female scholar-athlete. ^[1] She was a 28-time All-American swimmer who helped lead Truman State University to four national championships. ^[2]

Early life and education

Dance is a native of Lincoln, Nebraska. ^[3] She initially enrolled at the University of Nebraska for her freshman year before transferring to Truman State, where she majored in exercise science with a biology minor and graduated with a perfect GPA. ^[4]

Awards and honors

• 2005 Walter Byers Postgraduate Scholarship (female recipient). ^[5]
• 2005 ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-America Women’s At-Large (College Division) Academic All-American of the Year. ^[6]
• 2006 NCAA Today’s Top VIII (now Today’s Top 10) Award (class of 2006). ^{[7] [8]}

Notes

1. "Previous Walter Byers Scholars". The National Collegiate Athletic Association. Archived from the original on July 5, 2008. Retrieved January 26, 2008.
2. "Truman State University and University of Arkansas Student Athletes Named 2005 NCAA Walter Byers Postgraduate Scholarship Recipients". The National Collegiate Athletic Association. April 25, 2005. Archived from the original on December 2, 2008. Retrieved January 26, 2008.
3. "Dance Receives Walter Byers Postgraduate Scholarship - Vol. 9 No. 30 - April 26, 2005 | Truman Today Features". newsletter.truman.edu.
4. kbest (June 5, 2014). "Transfer Leads to Academic and Athletic Success". Truman Review. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
5. "NCAA News Archive - Dance, Gunn selected as recipients of Walter Byers awards". ncaanewsarchive.s3.amazonaws.com. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
6. Team, Archive (June 17, 2005). "Dance Scoops up Academic All-America of the Year Accolades". Swimming World. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
7. "Portland's Sinclair Earns NCAA Top VIII Honors". wccsports.com. December 20, 2005. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
8. "Southern Receives NCAA Top VIII Award At NCAA Centennial Celebration Gala". Fresno State. Retrieved August 24, 2025.