Flying Pig Marathon awards scholarships to local high school athletes

In April, the Flying Pig Marathon awarded scholarships to 10 Greater Cincinnati graduating high school seniors who have demonstrated a commitment to community service and running.

The Flying Pig Community Scholars Program, an expansion of Pig Works existing youth initiatives, has awarded more than $100,000 in scholarships to deserving students in the community, according to a press release.

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This year, the program expanded from four winners to 10 (five female, five male). The Community Scholars program is funded by the Coughlin Family, by sponsorship with Skyline Chili, and through donations. These contributions allow the program to recognize and reward the hard work and dedication of students who have made a positive impact on the local community.

Each winner receives a $5,000 scholarship toward post-secondary education. However, at the annual Flying Pig Community Scholars Breakfast on April 19 at Music Hall, it was revealed that each scholarship would be for $5,000 a year for four years, totaling $20,000 for each winner, according to a report from RunningUSA.org.

"The Flying Pig Community Scholars Program would like to thank all of the students who applied for the scholarship program this year,” President and CEO of Pig Works Iris Simpson Bush said in a statement. “The selection committee was impressed with the quality of the applications and the dedication of the applicants to community service. We encourage all students to continue to pursue their passions and to make a positive impact in their communities.”

Vote: Vote: Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky high school athletes of the week, May 1

Here were the 10 local scholarship recipients.

Keene "Aiden" Bryant, Goshen

Bryant recently finished third in the 1600-meter run (5:08.07) and sixth in the 3,200-meter run (12:19.84) at the Goshen High School Invitational.

Lavina Gryzymajlo, Summit Country Day

Gryzymajlo is currently ranked seventh in the Miami Valley Conference in the 800-meter run, ninth in the league in the 1,600-meter run and sixth in the 3,200.

Ben Johnson, Elder

Johnson helped lead Elder to a team title at the East Central High School Invitational on April 28. In the fall, Johnson was ninth in the Greater Catholic League/Girls Greater Catholic League Cross Country Championships.

Liam Lakhia, Summit Country Day

Lakhia is ranked 14th in the MVC in the 800-meter run and 20th in the 400-meter dash.

Grace McKay, Mason

McKay, a first-team all-league selection in cross country, finished third in the Greater Miami Conference last season. At the Centerville High School Relays on April 14, McKay was part of a school-record in Mason's distance medley relay.

Brooklyn Pickens, Villa Madonna

Pickens won the 100-meter dash and was the runner-up in the 200-meter and 400-meter dash at the NKAC Division III 2023 meet in Verona, Kentucky on April 29.

Madison Rahschulte, Batesville

As a 13-year-old in 2018, Rahschulte completed her Indiana running quest by running in an organized race in each of the state's 92 counties. Last September, Rahschulte won a 5,000-meter championship at the Ripley County Championship and was fourth in the event at the Batesville Invitational.

Isaac Schachleiter, Mason

The senior and University of Cincinnati commit is the GMC champion in the 800-meter and 1,600-meter run. He was the league's runner of the year in cross country last fall, finishing third in the Division I regional race.

Katie Stiens, Walnut Hills

Stiens is currently ranked 21st in the Eastern Cincinnati Conference in the 800-meter run. She's also 13th in the 1,600-meter run and eighth in the 3,200-meter run. She was part of Walnut Hills' ninth place run in the 4-x-800 relay at the Joe Lenge Dublin Classic April 15. In cross country, she finished ninth at districts.

Bennett Turan, Mariemont

Turan is a Xavier commit who finished 13th in the Division II state cross country meet last season. He also won 5,000-meter titles as a senior at the Mason XC Invitational and the Cincinnati Hills League Cross Country Championships. He also finished top 5 at the Division II Southwest District and Troy Regional meet.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Flying Pig Marathon awards scholarships to local high school athletes