Truman State's Sarah Dance was selected as the Academic All-America of the year in the College Division. Dance compiled a perfect 4.0 grade point average as an Exercise Science major and earned 28 All-america honors throughout her carer, including seven national championships. Dance also won the prestigious NCAA Walter Byers Postgraduate Scholarship and an NCAA postgraduate scholarship.

"It is a great honor to receive this award," said Dance, "I've had a lot of great things happen to me this year and this is at the top of the list. I'd like to thank CoSIDA and ESPN the Magazine for this wonderful honor."

The Academic All-America Teams honors 816 male and female student-athletes annually who have succeeded at the highest level in athletics and in the classroom. Individuals are selected through voting by CoSIDA, a 2,000 member organization consisting of sports public relations professionals. To be eligible, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point above 3.2, and be nominated by his/her sports information director. ESPN The Magazine - winner of the 2003 National Magazine Award for General Excellence - is a provocative and innovative sports publication. Full of insight, analysis, impact and wit, the oversized bi-weekly with a circulation of 1.85 million looks ahead to give fans a unique perspective on the world of sports. It remains to be seen if the magazine will actually recognize these athletes in print.