Yarborough Named Josh Lee Memorial Scholarship Recipient

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – USC Upstate head cross country/track and field coach Carson Blackwelder has announced Laura Yarborough as this year's recipient of the Josh Lee Memorial Scholarship.

The scholarship was established in 2015 by the Lee family to create transformative opportunities for student-athletes, and is awarded each year to a member of the cross country/track and field team who is a rising sophomore with at least a 3.0 GPA and in good standing on the team. It is named in honor of the late Josh Lee, a USC Upstate cross country runner and scholar-athlete who was killed in a car accident in October 2015. In addition to founding the Josh Lee Endowed Memorial Scholarship Fund, the Lee family also established the Annual Josh Lee Memorial 5K in which the proceeds directly support the Upstate cross country and track and field programs as well as the scholarship fund.

"Laura exemplifies what the Josh Lee Scholarship is all about, academics and athletics. She is a great student and made an impact on the team throughout her freshman year," said Blackwelder. "She saw huge improvements in the 5k from cross country to the indoor track season."

Yarborough, a Greer, S.C. native, closed out her freshman cross country season with a personal best 5K time of 19:57.2 at the Big South Championships before setting a personal best in the 6K at the NCAA Southeast Regionals with a time of 24:11.3. Both times rank in the top-25 on the program's all-time performance list. She capped off indoor track season with a pair of personal bests and top-20 finishes at the Big South Championships with a time of 11:02.72 in the 3000m and 18:53.84 in the 5000m. The rising sophomore education major also boasts an exceptional GPA.

Current students on the Josh Lee Memorial Scholarship include Jasmine Brown and Ari Jahanfar.

Click here for more information on this year's Josh Lee Memorial 5K.

Players Mentioned

Jasmine Brown

Ari Jahanfar

Laura Yarborough

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