Two recent Parkland High School gradautes and former Trojan cross country runners were recently presented with scholarships from the Lehigh Valley Road Runners.

Cassidy Newman and Will Nemeth received their scholarships at a July 10 Summer Series race.

Newman was the girls cross country team captain in 2011-12 and received the most valuable player award for 2011. She was named a cross country Lehigh Valley Interscholastic Athletic Conference All Star in 2011. She held a GPA of 4.1, is a member of the National Honor Society and earned the 2013 LVIAC Scholar Athlete Award.

Newman started running by participating in the LVRR Kids Running Series and has volunteered for many years at the LVRR Kids Series and St. Luke's Half Marathon Youth Run.

Cassidy will attend Penn State University to study Mechanical Engineering and plans to run for the intramural/club track and cross country teams.

Nemeth was captain of the Trojan boys cross country team in his junior and senior years and was named an LVIAC all-star in 2011 and 2012. He earned four district team medals and made four state appearances at the PIAA state cross country championships.

In track season, Nemeth finished third in 1600-meter run at the 2013 District 11 championship meet. He started his running career at the LVRR Kids Race Series and has volunteered at numerous club youth runs.

Nemeth has a GPA of 4.3 and was selected as the 2012 LVIAC Scholar Athlete for 2012 along with being Parkland's Scholar Athlete. He will attend Babson College to major in business with a minor in finance. He will run for the school's cross country and track teams.

The Scholarship Fund was established to assist local high school student graduates with college expenses and is funded by LVRR races. The Fund is a way for the club to give back to the community, foster interest in the sport and demonstrate the club's commitment to youth running.

By supporting young people who have demonstrated academic and athletic excellence, community involvement, and a strong interest in running, LVRR encourages healthy, productive and disciplined lifestyles in the young adults who will be leaders of the future.

The criteria the scholarship applicant must meet is as follows: a minimum 2.5 grade point average must be provided by their school guidance counselor. Their running and volunteer achievements must be listed.

A 250-word essay on how running has influenced their lives and what the sport has meant personally to them.

Two letters of recommendation must be submitted, one from their high school cross country and/or track coach and the other from someone not related to them, such as a teacher, counselor, etc.

Of course, the applicants must be members of their high school cross country and/or track team and compete as an individual in running events. Applications are sent to all high schools in Lehigh and Northampton counties.