Harness Tracks of America
Scholarship Fund

The Harness Tracks of America Scholarship Fund offers annual scholarships for post-secondary education to sons and daughters of licensed drivers, trainers, caretakers, management or young people actively engaged in the harness racing industry themselves.  The scholarship program, begun in 1973, has made 181 grants to 125 worthy students since its inception with the scholarships totaling $637,950. Scholarships are awarded for one year and are based on academic merit, financial need and active harness racing involvement.

The deadline for this year has passed.  The application for the 2010-2011 Scholarship will be available here in March.  The deadline for returning all materials will be May 15, 2010.  Please send any additional requests or inquiries to Jen Foley at jen@harnesstracks.com.

FIVE TOP STUDENTS EACH RECEIVE $5,000 HTA COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS

Harness Tracks of America’s scholarship committee, co-chaired by Jeff Smith of Hoosier Park and David Snyder of International Sound, has completed its review of HTA college scholarship applications and awarded five exceptional students $5,000 each to further their educations.  The winners, in alphabetical order, are:

JESSIE LYNN HENNESSEY, 23, of Kalamazoo, Michigan, a vet school student at Michigan State, with a bachelor’s degree in applied biology and concurrently working on a master’s degree in public health from the University of Minnesota.  The daughter of harness trainer-driver Edward Hennessey and his wife Sandra, an accountant, Jessie Lynn has worked for the past year as a research associate in clinical medicine.  She has jogged and trained the family horses, and expects to do government work in the food and drug industry following graduation, ultimately entering private practice specializing in equine internal medicine.

STEPHANIE HUEBNER, 19, of Plain City, Ohio, a freshman at Otterbein College who maintained a perfect 4.0 average in high school.  Stephanie, who works as a groom in the Herb Levan stable, is the daughter of Stephen Huebner, an industrial operations manager, and Kay Huebner, a substitute teacher, both with harness backgrounds.  Stephanie will major in equine business and facility management at Otterbein, with a minor in Spanish, and she hopes to study abroad.  Her high school guidance counselor calls her “dynamic, mature, funny – a very bright young woman who is creative, confident, outgoing and sensitive.”

BETHANY PAVLIK, 21, of Lewes, Delaware, a senior majoring in equine science and management at Delaware State College and applying for admission to veterinary school.  The daughter of David Pavlik, an electrician who lost his hands working on power lines in an electrical storm, and his wife Katherine, a homemaker, Bethany has supported herself working for All American Standardbreds and as a veterinary technician assistant at Savannah Animal Hospital. She hopes to specialize in equine reproduction and soundness.

ARIANA PELUSO, 22, of White Lake, NY, is attending the University of Tennessee’s Knoxville College of Veterinary Medicine.  The daughter of Andrew Peluso, farm manager and trainer at Misty Acres Farm and his wife Michele, an administrative assistant, Ariana hopes to specialize in equine sports medicine and ultimately become an equine orthopedic surgeon.  She attended the State University of New York at Binghampton and Cornell University before admission to Tennessee’s vet school.

WAYDE ZACHARY CHRISTIAN MARSH, 18, of Milford, Delaware, a freshman major in politics and law at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia.  The son of Wayde Davis Marsh, a retired trainer, and his wife Joy, a claims clerk, Wayde was an A student in analytical geometry and calculus at Salesianum School in Wilmington, Delaware,  and won honors both there and at Milford high school.  A two-time high school swimming All-American, he excelled in extracurricular activities, including music and band, winning all-state honors in the latter, and he was the Senate majority leader at Boys State.  He plans a career in American government and international relations.