Baum top scholar-athlete at Minnesota

Carson High graduate Dana Baum will leave the University of Minnesota this year as one of the school's most accomplised scholar-athletes.

As a member of the women's swim team, Baum was recognized for having one of the top five grade point averages among female athletes at the school during its annual Scholar-Athlete Awards banquet held by Academic Counseling and Student Services.

She was one of 335 scholar-athletes. The scholar-athlete award is in recognition of outstanding academic achievement while participating in intercollegiate athletics. To qualify for the award, student-athletes must have a cumulative G.P.A. of at least 3.0. Of the Minnesota student-athletes, 45 percent are scholar-athletes.

Baum was also among the five male and five female student-athletes to be recognized for having the top G.P.A.s. To qualify for the Top Five award, a student-athlete must have three continuous years as a member of a Minnesota athletic team, have participated in the current year and be an undergraduate student.

Baum earned one of the Minnesota athletics' highest G.P.A.

An elementary education major, she holds a 3.92 in her four years as a member of the Golden Gopher swim team.

In additions, Baum earned one of the Outstanding Achievement Awards. The Outstanding Achievement Award seeks to recognize

student-athletes who are accomplished in the four major areas emphasized by the NCAA Life Skills Program: Leadership, Academics, Volunteerism and Athletics.

Baum was a three-year qualifier for the NCAA Championships. She was a two-year All-American honorable mention selection and the team's 2002-03 team captain.