PLUMSTED — New Egypt High School senior Lindsay Mann has been selected as a finalist in the National Merit Scholarship program.

She was selected from among the 1.5 million students in more than 21,000 high schools who entered the 2009 National Merit Scholarship program by taking the preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

Principal Elizabeth Panella said, "We are very proud of Lindsay achieving this prestigious honor. New Egypt High School is committed to excellence, and Lindsay exemplifies these high academic goals."

The National Merit Scholarship program is an annual academic competition for recognition and scholarships that is open to all high school students in the United States who meet published entry requirements.

Finalists named in each year's merit scholarship competition showed exceptional academic ability and potential for success in rigorous college studies, according to a press release.

The 15,000 finalists chosen are those who scored the highest in each state, and they represent less than 1 percent of each state's high school seniors.

Mann will now compete to win one of 8,200 National Merit scholarships.

She will attend the University of Pennsylvania next fall. At New Egypt High School, Mann is a member of the softball and field hockey teams and the National Honor Society.