2015 Scholarship Recipients

In 2015, the Ambler Area Running Club awarded its annual scholarships to four graduating seniors of local high schools. Pictured left to right are:  Marissa Holl (Upper Dublin HS), Bryce Vaughn Dubin (Wissahickon HS), Casey Comber (Hatboro Horsham HS), Alexandra Valenti (North Penn HS), and Jeff Lofton, AARC President.

Marissa began running for Ambler Olympic Club when she was seven years old. She says she loves the sport and it has given her amazing teammates, friends and coaches. She’s been captain and MVP of the track team since her sophomore year and considers her proudest achievement to be her having had the fastest 4by8 from Upper Dublin since Kim Gallagher. Marissa plans to attend Lafayette College in the fall and run track/cross country. 

Bryce has been running ever since his freshman year of high school. He claims that although he started out as one of the slowest runners on the Wissahickon track team, he pushed himself to improve for four years and even achieved one of his longstanding goals of running an 800m race in under 2:15 in his final race as a senior. Bryce says that running has taught him the value of hard work and persistence. Next fall Bryce will be attending Bucknell University and hopes to run at the club level.

Casey recalls that running track and cross-country, he’s met some of his best friends.  According to Casey, he could hardly wait to go to practice everyday and work hard with them.  He added that making Foot Locker Nationals in cross-country and becoming an all-American during the winter would not have meant nearly as much to him if his  teammates weren’t there to cheer him on. Casey will be attending Villanova next year and running cross-country and track.

Alexandra (Ali) says that the most important thing she values about running is the purity of the sport, because “there is no way to fake a goal or hide behind the better players on the field: it's just you and the track.” She really enjoyed the bond she made on her relay team this year and says that her district race was the highlight of her career. The team was able to run a US #3 time of 9:02 and break North Penn’s 18 year old school record. Ali will continue running at the United States Naval Academy and then serve after she graduates.

Individual pictures here.