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Shannon O'Hara Foundation hits milestones with latest scholarship awards for Rochester athletes

jason feldman, post-bulletin, rochester, minn.
·3 min read

Feb. 8—ROCHESTER — As Dan and Jen O'Hara stood on the ice at Graham Arena I Thursday night, they couldn't help but think back a dozen years ago.

That's when a group of parents whose daughters played hockey with the O'Haras daughter Shannon, pooled together $5,000 to help keep Shannon's memory alive.

Have they ever.

That night in 2012, just weeks after Shannon O'Hara died after a courageous nine-month battle with an inoperable brain tumor,

the Shannon O'Hara Foundation was created.

Shannon "the Cannon" O'Hara — a nickname she earned because of her not-so-heavy slapshot — was just 13 years old when she passed away on Jan. 6, 2012.

As the foundation's website states: "Shannon lived her life with a positive attitude, always working hard for what she wanted, and being a good friend and teammate. In her memory, this foundation will support youth who carry on those ideals by awarding scholarships. In addition, funds will be used to support brain tumor research as we work toward a cure."

Thursday night, just more than 12 years later, Dan and Jen O'Hara stood on the Graham Arena ice and presented scholarship money in Shannon's name to five high school hockey playing seniors from Rochester. Two milestones were reached during the presentation: The Shannon Foundation has now presented 50 scholarships to student-athletes from Rochester, and it topped the $125,000 mark in scholarship money presented to college-bound senior hockey players who grew up playing in the Rochester Youth Hockey Association.

It's quite an accomplishment for the leaders of a foundation that initially hoped to present one scholarship a year.

The five recipients of $3,000 Shannon O'Hara Foundation scholarships in 2024 are Annika Torbenson and Fiona Barry from the Century/John Marshall girls hockey team, Elle Roth from the Mayo girls hockey team, Mikkel Norby from the Mayo boys hockey team, and Damon Miller, a senior who plays for the first-year Rochester Mustangs Junior Gold team.

The winners were announced during the first intermission of the Mayo vs. Century/John Marshall boys hockey game.

The total amount of scholarship money presented to Rochester athletes by the Shannon Foundation now sits at $127,000, Jen O'Hara said.

The past two weeks have been a busy stretch for the O'Haras and the foundation. They were in Warroad on Jan. 27 to present 10 $1,000 scholarships to senior hockey players from the high school boys and girls teams participating in Hockey Day Minnesota.

Those winners included: Anna Tomas (Lakeville North), Madilyn Skogman (Warroad), Charlie Cariveau (Waseca), Eli Swanson (Lake of the Woods), Morgan Muir (Kittson County Central), Jace Erickson (Thief River Falls), Parker Gast (Moorhead), Cade De St. Hubert (Wayzata), James Jacques (Roseau) and Will Hardwick (Warroad).

In order for Rochester players to be considered for a scholarship, they must write an essay about what growing up playing in the RYHA meant to them and how it helped them grow as an athlete and a person. The foundation's

board of directors

chooses the winners.

2024: Fiona Barry (Century/JM), Damon Miller (Rochester Mustangs Jr. Gold), Mikkel Norby (Mayo), Elle Roth (Mayo), Annika Torbenson (Century/JM).

2023: Abi Connors (Century), Klaus Gilbertson (Century), Adam Hegrenes (JM), Sam Jacobson (Mayo), Nina Luke (Century), Megan Lutz (Mayo), Grace Oyen (Century), Nick Weick (Mayo).

2022: Elizabeth Arendt (Mayo), Matt Haun (Century), Camdon Magle (John Marshall), Lizzie Pike (Lourdes), Milla Sadowy (Mayo), Jake Schmidt (JM).

2021: Josh Hanson (Century), Hayden Jones (Mayo), Katherine Thorvilson (Century), Abby Wick (Lourdes).

2020: Megan Andrist (Mayo), Max Cothern (Mayo), Corrin Hanson (Lourdes), Sam Williams (Century).

2019: Skylar Klingfus (Century), Ali Ratzloff (Lourdes).

2018: Claire Brunn (Lourdes), Jason Coyle (JM), Natalie Fink (Century), Max Jones (JM), Maddi Lutz (Mayo), Zach Walston (Lourdes).

2017: Paige Anglin (Mayo), Samantha Jones (JM), Maddie Leqve (Century), John Schmitz (Century).

2016: Abby Marquardt (Mayo), JT Rein (Mayo).

2015: Mitchell Brandhagen (Lourdes), Jake Dravis (JM), Tori Thompson (JM).

2014: Katie Aney (Century), Sam Broman (JM), Bethany Gibson (Mayo).

2013: Rebecca Lorsung (Century), Brian Murray (Mayo).