Twenty Lawrence students were named semifinalists Wednesday in the 53rd annual National Merit Scholarship Program.

National Merit Scholarship Corp. announced the 16,000 students from across the nation who will have a chance to compete for about 8,200 awards, worth a total $34 million.

Students from high schools in Lawrence:

• Free State High School – Justine Ahle, Cori Allen, Laura Drees, Kate Falkenstien, Joshua Frederick, Raquel Gonzalez, Maxwell Gregoire, Mitchell Haverty, Clara Kundin and Anthony Twarog.
• Lawrence High School – Xander Casad, Lin Chen, Yoshika Crider, Stephanie Drahozal, Stephanie Jian and Erin Thimmesch.
• Bishop Seabury Academy – Martin Blanchard, Erika O’Shea and Brooke Sutherland.
• Veritas Christian School – Michael Penny.

Other area semifinalists are Marianne Schroer, Baldwin High School; Sarah Heschmeyer, a Eudora home school student; Harold Laurence, Lansing High School; and Mark Sowers, Spring Hill High School.

The students scored the highest as juniors in each state on the 2006 Preliminary SAT. The semifinalists represent less than 1 percent of current U.S. high school seniors, according to the corporation.

About 90 percent of the national semifinalists are expected to become finalists, and half of those students will become National Merit Scholars.

To qualify as finalists, students must have an outstanding high school academic record, be recommended by the principal and have a high SAT score.