The women's John Stenner Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Marjolein Pawlus (Northeastern University) while the men's Stenner Scholarship was awarded to Timothy Maley (University of Arizona). Lauren De Crescenzo (University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus) received the women's Joshua Kuck Memorial Scholarship while Carson Benjamin (University of California, Santa Cruz) was named recipient of the men's.
Each of the four recipients will receive $2,000.
Marjolein Pawlus is a Junior at Northeastern University, studying Data Science with a minor in Computational Social Sciences. Pawlus
holds a 3.44 GPA and is a lead teaching assistant for a graduate level course. Marjolein's recent results include placing 8th in the Criterium at Collegiate Nationals in 2018. She has been the Treasurer of Northeastern Cycling for the past three years, in which she has held the responsibility of negotiating funding for 10 riders per year for Nationals and fundraising to hire a professional trail builder. Marjolein coordinated and facilitated club participation in "Giving Day 2019" which resulted in $12,000 worth of funding for the club. She is also the team's photographer, kit designer, social media promoter and team recruiter. Marjolein has played a major role in Northeastern Cycling's growth which went from 10 to 30 active riders within the last two years.
"It is quite an honor to be selected as a recipient of the 2019 John Stenner Collegiate Cycling Scholarship. Cycling has been a part of my life for the past 12 years. My collegiate team has been my family at college since the first day of freshman year. As a rising senior, I have been able to see the team double in size over the past three years. I can't wait to see how we can develop the team further during this next year. Thank you so much to the Foundation and USA Cycling for supporting me and my love of the sport!" - Marjolein Pawlus (Northeastern University)
Timothy Maley is a Graduate student at the University of Arizona with a 3.56 GPA in Physiology and Neuroscience. Timothy earned candidacy for his PhD in Physiology and also won the University of Arizona Spirit of Club Sports Award in 2018. He is the Vice President
of the University of Arizona Cycling Team, which with his support, received the 2018 Collegiate Club of the Year designation. Timothy's recent results include 2018 Collegiate Club Cyclocross Relay National Champion, 2nd place in cyclocross overall team standings and 1st in the Southwest Collegiate Cycling Conference. Timothy managed to attend every mountain bike, cyclocross and road event in the 2018/2019 Southwest Collegiate Cycling Conference while holding club responsibilities such as promoting local races hosted by his team, mentoring new riders on the team in both rider development and career/life development including tutoring and degree counseling.
"Receiving the 2019 John Stenner scholarship means a tremendous amount to me. Without collegiate cycling and the amazing team at The University of Arizona, I probably never would have found the sport of cycling. Collegiate cycling has helped me connect with so many amazing people and helped me find a part of myself. I hope to honor the memory of John Stenner by giving back to the collegiate cycling community that has already given me so much." -Timothy Maley (University of Arizona)
Lauren De Crescenzo is a Graduate student at the University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus studying Epidemiology with a 3.6 GPA. In 2016, a devastating crash during a bike race resulted in a traumatic brain injury (TBI) for Lauren. She spent 6 days in an induced coma with news that it was going to be a long recovery. After several years of rehabilitation and not racing, she got back
on the bike and brought home a bronze medal at the 2018 Collegiate Cycling National Championships, and more recently, she took the top step of the podium in the Individual Time Trial at the 2019 Collegiate Nationals this past weekend. Lauren's experiences have led her to dedicate her life to concussion and TBI prevention, injury prevention, research, safety, helmet use and awareness.
"3 years ago today as I recovered in a rehab center from my horrible crash, I would never imagine pursuing my Masters, racing bikes again or receiving the Kuck scholarship. It's funny how things work out sometimes. It means so much to me to receive the Kuck scholarship because I understand the physical and emotional pain caused by crashes as well as the challenges that come with recovery. I have dedicated my career- on and off the bike- to safety advocacy. I just presented my thesis on traumatic brain injury, which was entirely inspired by cycling!" - Lauren De Crescenzo (University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus)
Carson Benjamin is a Senior studying Film & Digital Media at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC). Carson received Dean's
Honors for academic achievement and holds a 3.9 GPA. He is the Vice President of University of California and Assistant Coach for the Redwood High School Mountain Bike Team. Carson manages a university-funded program called the UCSC Bike Library, which gives bicycles to students and staff to use for an academic term. The program's goal is to promote a cycling culture on campus and increase accessibility to a sustainable form of transportation. Carson also volunteers at the UCSC Bike-Co-Op, a student run organization that teaches bicycle maintenance skills and provides a low-cost service to UCSC community members. Carson was 3rd overall in the 2017 Western Collegiate Cycling Conference Omnium and the 2015 U18 Short Track Mountain Bike National Champion.
“Being awarded the 2019 Joshua Kuck Collegiate Cycling Scholarship is an honor and the culmination of years of work that would not have been possible without the support of my community, teammates, and family." -Carson Benjamin (University of California, Santa Cruz)
The John Stenner Memorial Scholarships are based on select criteria including academic achievements, athletic accomplishments, service to the community and collegiate team involvement. Stenner scholarships are funded by donations to the USA Cycling Foundation in honor of John Stenner, one of the founders of collegiate cycling.
The Joshua Kuck Memorial Scholarships are based on achievements in the areas of cycling safety, advocacy, and education. The program is funded through the USA Cycling Foundation by directed donations from the friends and family of Joshua Kuck, a University of South Florida collegiate cyclist who was tragically killed by a motorist on his bike in 2007.
For more information regarding the USA Cycling Foundation Collegiate Scholarships and to see past recipients, please visit: https://www.usacycling.org/foundation/college-scholarships
