Several Bloomfield area athletes were among those named finalists for the 2011-12 Scholar Athlete Awards issued by the Michigan High School Athletic Association.

The finalists were named earlier this week and will learn which will receive a $1,000 scholarship underwritten by Farm Bureau Insurance early next month. A total of 1,636 applications were received and only thirty two individuals from across the state will receive the award.

Just three schools had three finalists and only 20 had two apiece, including Brother Rice High School and Birmingham Groves.

Scholarships will be presented proportionately by school classification, with 12 scholarships to be awarded to Class A student-athletes, six female and six male; eight scholarships will be awarded to Class B student-athletes, four female and four male; six scholarships will be awarded to Class C student-athletes, three female and three male; and four scholarships will be awarded to Class D student-athletes, two female and two male. In addition, there also will be two at-large honorees which also are part of the general judging process, may come from any classification, and are designated by their school at the time of entry.

To be eligible for the award, students must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 (on a 4.0 scale), and previously have won a varsity letter in at least one sport in which the MHSAA sponsors a postseason tournament. Students also were asked to respond to a series of short essay questions, submit two letters of recommendation and submit a 500-word essay on the importance of sportsmanship in educational athletics.

To honor the 32 Scholar-Athlete Award recipients, a ceremony will take place during halftime of the Class C Boys Basketball Final, March 24 at the Breslin Student Events Center in East Lansing. To view the entire list click here.

The local finalists are:

Boys Class A

Nick Rao, Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice

Christopher Sesi, Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice

Girls Class A

Kelly Lunghamer, Marian High School

Class C Girls

Isabella Yzerman, Bloomfield Hills Academy of the Sacred Heart