ATLANTA – University of Pennsylvania senior women's fencer Ashley Marcus has been named the winner of the prestigious Wooden Citizenship Cup for 2017-18. The announcement was made Wednesday night by the organization that sponsors the award, Athletes For a Better World, at its annual awards ceremony held at the Renaissance Atlanta Waverly Hotel & Convention Center.

Marcus was one of four finalists along with Hannah Menk, University of Redlands (women's soccer); Patrick Mohorcic, The College of Wooster (football); and Stephen Rizzo, Marist College (men's cross country/track & field). This year's high school recipients were Hope Vera Baldwin, Hackett Catholic Prep High School in Kalamazoo, Mich.; and Ethan Shuster, Shelton (Conn.) High School. This year's Professional Recipient was former Olympic speed skater Johann Olav Koss.

Marcus is the second Penn student-athlete to be honored with this award, as former Quakers men's basketball player Dau Jok was the collegiate recipient for the 2013-14 academic year.

About the Wooden Citizenship Cup
Founded by Athletes for a Better World (ABW), a non-profit organization committed to changing the culture of American sports, the Wooden Cup is unique in that it is open to athletes in all high school, collegiate and Olympic or professional sports. Nominations are open to every division and conference in college sports and to athletes in public and private high schools across the country in a partnership with the National Association of High School Athletic Administrators.

The Wooden Cup is named for John Wooden, who won ten national championships during the years 1964-75 as basketball coach at UCLA and is considered one of college sports' greatest coaches. But it was Wooden's emphasis on character development in his players and his dedication to community service that drew ABW's attention. "John Wooden is universally regarded as one of the finest human beings to ever grace the world of sports, and his character, conduct and selfless gifts stand at the highest level by any standard," said Fred Northup, ABW President. When Coach Wooden learned about Athletes for a Better World, he authorized ABW to attach his name to this annual award, and Coach Wooden attended and addressed the inaugural event in Los Angeles in 2005. In his honor, the Wooden Cup has been presented to two distinguished athletes, one collegiate and one professional or Olympic, for character and leadership both on and off the field and for contributions to sport and society. For the second year, the Wooden Cup, in partnership with the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association, recognized two high school athletes as recipients in the high school division.

About Ashley Marcus
A senior, Ashley has devoted herself to fighting anti-bullying and sexual violence through various means including helping to re-write legislation, authoring a book, and public speaking.
 
Ashley interned with the United States Department of Justice in its Civil Rights Division Criminal Section in the summer of 2017, conducting research on human trafficking and color of law. A Florida native, she worked for the Florida Parent Teacher Association (PTA) Legislature, lecturing and leading discussions throughout the United States about reporting processes and legislation pertaining to sexual violence in elementary, middle, and high schools.

Ashley co-authored the Amendment to Florida Anti-Bullying Law 1006.147, also known as The Jeffrey Johnston Stand Up for All Students Act, which requires school districts to adopt an official policy prohibiting bullying and harassment of students and staff on school grounds, at school-sponsored events, and through school computer networks. She also created two national resolutions against sexual violence in schools that were adopted by the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA), Response to Sexual Harassment and Sexual Violence Affecting Students.

In August 2011, Ashley founded the "Just Tell" organization after identifying a need for sexual violence prevention and education within Florida's public schools as well as a reform of state policy to better assist students in reporting sexual violence and receiving proper resources after an assault. Through "Just Tell," she authored educational pamphlets distributed in schools throughout the United States for students and guidance counselors on understanding the implications, reporting, and prevention of sexual assault in schools. She also authored a "Just Tell Pledge" which was approved by the Florida PTA Legislature and is now posted in more than 1,400 Florida public schools.

Ashley also authored a children's book on reporting and preventing sexual violence. The book, entitled Just Tell: Raising Awareness About the Sexual Abuse of Children, serves as a guide to facilitate communication between parents and students.

On Penn's campus, Ashley is a Board member of PAVE (Penn Anti-Violence Educator), an organization that facilitates workshops and training sessions every semester for peers about bystander intervention to prevent sexual violence on campus. She also is a student-athlete representative for the University's Public Safety Focus Group, a collaboration of Penn student groups and Penn Violence Prevention that promotes on-campus safety measures including the dissemination of campus resources.

In 2016-17, Ashley was one of three undergraduate student representatives selected for the University's Committee on Open Expression, helping mediate conflicts during campus incidents and disturbances and preventing violations of the guidelines while also advising on-the-scene observers about issues concerning the guidelines. In this position, she also served as an interpreter of the guidelines at the request of any member of the University community.

Within Penn Athletics, Ashley spurred the department's "It's on Us" campaign, the first of its kind among Ivy League institutions. As part of the initiative, she planned and executed sexual-violence education events in which members of the Penn community were encouraged to take the pledge and learn about the University's resources.

Wooden Citizenship Cup Professional Recipient
The professional recipient this year was Johann Olav Koss, a four-time Olympic Gold Medalist, the Founder of Right to Play, and an international humanitarian.
 
Koss made his Olympic debut at the 1992 Winter Olympics, finishing seventh in the 5,000, meters just five days after undergoing surgery because of an inflamed pancreas. He would recover to win gold in the 1,500 (by just 0.04 seconds over his countryman Ådne Søndrål) and silver in the 10,000 (behind Dutch skater Bart Veldkamp).

In 1994, the final year of his speed skating career, Koss also gained fame outside the speed skating world by winning three gold medals at the 1994 Winter Olympics in his native Norway, winning all of the races in world-record times. For his performance, Koss was named Sports Illustrated magazine's Sportsman of the Year in 1994 along with Bonnie Blair. In addition, he received the Oscar Mathisen Award for speed skating three times (1990, 1991, 1994).

After his speed skating career, Koss trained as a physician at the University of Queensland in Australia. He became a UNICEF ambassador and a member of the International Olympic Committee until 2002.

In 2000, Koss founded the Canadian-based International Humanitarian Organization, Right To Play, which uses sport and play as a tool for the development of children and youth in the most disadvantaged areas of the world. The organization operates in more than 20 countries and reaches over one million children each week and is supported by more than 620 staff and 14,900 volunteer coaches worldwide. In August 2015, Koss transitioned in to the role of Founder at Right To Play, where he still stays very active in a variety of fundraising initiatives and maintains his seat on the International Board of Directors.

Koss completed his Executive MBA at the Joseph L. Rotman School of Management in the University of Toronto in Canada. He has Honorary Doctorates from several universities: Brock University, University of Calgary, Vrije Universiteit Brussels, and the University of Agder in Norway. On July 1, 2015, Koss was made an honorary Member of the Order of Canada.

About Athletes for a Better World:
Founded in 1998, Athletes for a Better World (ABW) exists to change the culture of sport by developing individual character, teamwork, and civic responsibility through commitment to the Code for Living. ABW's vision is to have the Code become a part of every sport at every level, so that it becomes the common language and standard expectation of behavior for everyone. ABW provides free support and resources to coaches and athletes across the country who want to teach and live out these values. "The Code for Living" can be found on playing fields, locker rooms and athletic facilities across the country. Currently, ABW players and coaches are represented in every state and several foreign countries.