LTC Scholarship Award Winners

Run. Connect. Give Back. These are the core values of the Lincoln Track Club. Sunday, June 6, was one of the LTC’s favorite days of the year as we live our mission by awarding scholarships to area athletes who will be competing at the collegiate level. This year the Lincoln Track Club presented a total of $15,000 to six area athletes. Each recipient will receive a one-time $2,500 scholarship.In the six years of the scholarship program, the LTC has given thirty-one area athletes a total of $68,500. East has the most scholarship recipients at ten with Pius X in second at five. Lincoln High, Northeast, and North Star have three recipients each while Southeast, Southwest, and Waverly have two recipients. This year the LTC awards our first scholarship to a Malcolm student.PETER CUDDY’s favorite event is the 1600 because it comes down to who has more guts. As a track and field runner for Lincoln High, he was able to improve his 1600 time by over a minute during his career. It is only fitting he finished strong with a 13th place finish at the 2019 Nebraska State Track and Field Championship and a personal record of 4:30.72. He also ran a leg on the Links' 4th place 4x800 relay team for coaches Brad Rettig, Dan Bax, Cassie Manhart, Jon Dawson, and Bob White. Peter also ran the 800 and 3200, and his favorite LTC event is the Nebraska Football Road Race. He plans to major in computer science at Iowa Western, where he will be on the cross country and track and field teams. It is a great honor to him to win this award, and he plans to use it to pay for tuition. His brother Frank won an LTC scholarship in 2015, and Peter is continuing the tradition. His parents are Mark and Mary Cuddy.ELLEN DALTON’s top memory from high school was winning the Class B Cross Country state championship as a senior at Lincoln Pius X. She was also a member of the track and field team and was coached by Bill Rice and George O’Boyle. Ellen ran the 200, 400, and 800 as well as a leg on the 4x400 relay. In the 2019 Nebraska State Track and Field Championship, she ran the first leg of the 4th place 4x400 relay. She will be on the Nebraska Wesleyan track and field team, and she plans to major in pre-physical therapy. Her parents are Tim and Carolyn Dalton.JADEN HILKEMANN cannot wait to continue her distance running journey, and the LTC scholarship is going to help make this possible. She ran cross country and distance races for the Lincoln North Star track and field team for coach Matt Musiel and his assistant coaches Brian Wandzilak and Mitch Bern. Jaden qualified for the Nebraska State Cross Country Championship in 2016 and 2017 with a 20th place finish in 2017. She will compete in cross country and track for Doane University, where she plans to literally go the distance by running 5K and 10K, and she also wants to run a half marathon. At Doane, Jaden will double major in political science and English. She plans to use this scholarship for room and board. Her parents are James and Jill Hilkemann.KATE SCHOENING is honored to be recognized by the running community and receive this scholarship from the LTC in order to continue running in college. She ran cross country and the 1600 and 3200 at Lincoln Northeast for coaches John Snoozy, Jeff Hansen, and Mike Carrol. Kate was injured during the track and field season in 2019, but she competed in the state championships in both cross country and track and field in the past. She is going to run cross country and track at Nebraska Wesleyan University, where she is leaning toward a science major. Kate plans to use the scholarship to pay tuition and fees. Her parents are Lynn and Kelli Schoening.BAILEY VIRUS is a former Mayor’s Run participant who mastered the sprints at Malcolm High School for coaches Dustin Tobey and Danis Wilet. A ten-time qualifier for the Nebraska State Track and Field Championships in four years with the Clippers, she ran the 100, 200, and legs on the 4x100 relay. As a junior she was 6th in the 100 and 7th in the 200 and was a state champion as a freshman in the 4x100 relay. Bailey will be on the track and field team at Nebraska Wesleyan, where she plans to major in athletic training. She plans to use this scholarship to help pay her tuition. Her parents are Scott and Sarah Virus.ABBY VOLKMER loves the team aspect of track and field. Her team at Lincoln East is full of the hardest working, genuine, gritty, and fun people she has ever been around, and she is looking forward to her new team at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. At East she ran cross country and track for coaches Brian Kabourek, Kevin Hubbell, Drew Willis, Joe Black, and Riley Sigler. Abby ran the 3200 at the Nebraska State Track and Field Championships in 2016, 2017, and 2019, finishing 18th, 17th, and 10th respectively. She will run cross country and track at UNL where she will major in English. She plans to use the scholarship for books and student fees. Her parents are Raina and James Volkmer.Congratulations to our scholarship recipients.