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Penn State Alumna Shawn Morelli Receives Second ESPY Nomination

Penn State alumna Shawn Morelli has earned an ESPYs nomination for Best Female Athlete with a Disability. The cycling star was nominated for the same award back in 2017 but lost to Paralympic swimmer Rebecca Meyers.

https://twitter.com/USParalympics/status/1141434596548104192

A United States Army veteran, Morelli launched an impressive cycling career following a 2009 deployment in Afghanistan in which she was seriously injured from an IED. She claimed two gold medals in the 2016 Rio Paralympic games for Team USA and broke her own world record in track cycling’s 3000m pursuit during the qualifying round.

More recently, Morelli earned four gold medals in the 2017 IPC Track Cycling World Championships and 2017 IPC Road Cycling World Championships. The 1998 Penn State graduate now has her sights set on the 2020 Paralympic games in Tokyo, Japan.

Morelli isn’t the only Penn Stater nominated for an award this year, though. Former Penn State running back Saquon Barkley was nominated for Best Breakthrough Athlete following his impressive rookie season with the New York Giants.

The Meadville, PA, native is up for the ESPY award against cross-country skier Oksana Masters, Paralympic marathon racer Tatyana McFadden, and triathlete Allysa Seely.

Fans can vote for Morelli and view the full list of this year’s nominees here. Voting closes once the 2019 ESPYs broadcast begins July 10 at 8 p.m. on ABC.

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About the Author

Matt DiSanto

Matt proudly served as Onward State’s managing editor for two years until graduating from Penn State in May 2022. Now, he’s off in the real world doing real things. Send him an email ([email protected]) or follow him on Twitter (@mattdisanto_) to stay in touch.

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