USA Cycling awards four collegiate cycling scholarships

Colorado Springs, Colo. (December 23, 2008)—USA Cycling has recognized four outstanding student-athletes, two as recipients of the annual John Stenner Collegiate Cycling Scholarship and two as winners of the new Joshua Kuck Memorial Scholarship Fund.

 

Winners of the Stenner Scholarship, Kimberly Turner (Boise, Idaho) of Seattle Pacific University and Kyle Englund-Krieger (Hummelstown, Pa.) of the United States Naval Academy, were each granted $1,500 scholarships based on academic achievements, athletic accomplishments and service to the community with an emphasis on collegiate team involvement and leadership. The annual scholarship program is funded by donations to the USA Cycling Development Foundation.

 

The Kuck Memorial Scholarship winners, Fort Lewis College’s Teal Stetson-Lee (Durango, Colo.) and Jeffrey Salvitti (Lewisburg, Pa.) of Bucknell University, will also receive a $1,500 scholarship based on outstanding achievements in the areas of cycling safety, advocacy and education. The program is funded through the USA Cycling Development Foundation by directed donations from the friends and family of Joshua Kuck, a collegiate cyclist who was killed in 2007.

 

Turner, a 19-year-old sophomore Human Biology major, maintains a 3.53 grade point average while competing both on the road and in cyclo-cross for her Seattle Pacific University Cycling Team. After a successful junior racing career which included wins in the junior women’s road race at the Sea Otter Classic and the Idaho State Championships, the Centennial High School valedictorian headed to Seattle Pacific where, as a freshman, she founded the school’s first cycling club. On the bike, the team president burst onto the collegiate racing scene with a top-10 finish in her first collegiate contest, the University of Oregon/Oregon State University omnium. Turner went on to place 15th in the DII women’s criterium at the USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships in Fort Collins, Colo. In just over a year, the Falcon Cycling Team has welcomed over 22 new members and has established a place for SPU amongst the Northwest Cycling Conference.

 

The men’s recipient of the 2008 John Stenner Collegiate Cycling Scholarship is a Physics major at the United States Naval Academy where the cycling team's First Lieutenant sustains a 4.0 G.P.A. Having raced competitively for just over two years, Englund-Krieger has racked up numerous top-10 finishes as the only sophomore to represent the Midshipmen in the collegiate men’s A division. The squad leader also helped his team to an Atlantic Coast Cycling Conference victory in the team time trial and a ninth-place finish in that event at the USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships. As team co-captain, the 20-year-old helped his team incorporate community service into its training program, reaching out to local elementary school students to provide lessons on bike maintenance, safety, training and racing. The proven humanitarian has also contributed to numerous charitable ventures including Project Burning Bush and the Navy-Marine Corp Memorial Criterium.     

 

As a member of the powerful Fort Lewis College Cycling Team, the female Kuck Scholarship award winner, Stetson-Lee exemplifies the well-rounded student athlete while also encouraging cycling safety and education through involvement with local youth cycling programs. The junior Gender Studies and Spanish double-major maintains a 3.9 G.P.A. in addition to acting as Vice-President of the Skyhawks Cycling Club. On the bike, Stetson-Lee, a mountain bike specialist, competes in the dominant Rocky Mountain Collegiate Cycling Conference. In addition to a pair of fifth-place finishes at the USA Cycling Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championships, Stetson-Lee also posted impressive results racing on the track for the first time in 2008.

 

Following a training accident with this Bucknell University teammates, Salvitti helped start Bison Bike, a community bicycle sharing project that emphasizes bike safety. The sophomore Economics major also acts as the Director Sportif for Bucknell Cycling while also competing as a member of the Pennsylvania Lightning Developmental Squad. On top of his 3.2 G.P.A., the 19-year-old turned in a 15th-place performance at the USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships.