New Canaan High School graduate Melanie Escalante was selected by her coach as the recipient of a $1,000 scholarship, proceeds from June’s fourth annual New Canaan One Mile Road Race.
This year’s race, which was sponsored by New Balance of New Canaan, , , , and , raised scholarship funds for a graduating NCHS senior who has demonstrated an outstanding work ethic in the school’s cross country/track program.
Ms. Escalante, the daughter of Fortimo and Imelda Escalante, will attend Keene State University in New Hampshire in the fall, and looks forward to continuing her cross country and track career. She competed all four years at NCHS, specializing in sprints through middle distance, and clocked a 59-second 400 meter race, according to her coach, Art Brown. While still undecided about a major, she is considering physical therapy.
Ms. Escalante finished third overall in June’s One Mile Road Race. She shared the podium with her older sister, AnaVivian, who won first place for her age group. The USATF certified course featured three laps through downtown New Canaan.
“We couldn’t have had a better candidate for the award this year than Melanie,” observed Ron Rosenfeld, owner of . “She represents exactly what the scholarship is about: character and leadership within her peer group.”
These races are a wonderful way to highlight health, family fitness and community,” said Steve Karl, Vice President of Karl Chevrolet. “We’ve been involved since the beginning, and we love the way this June event has grown in popularity each year. It also brings a lot of people to the downtown area, which is great for New Canaan."
“We’re always happy to partner with other businesses in town for such a good cause,” added Alex Stewart, Manager of Walter Stewart's Market.
The sponsors will collaborate again on August 26 for a road race to benefit “All Out for Autism.”
(Editor's Note: In the original announcement, Melanie Escalante's surname was misspelled. It is correctly spelled in this version.)
