Stephanie Lawrence takes a breath during a team practice at the Heritage Group campus in Indianapolis, Ind., on Tuesday, March 25, 2025. Lawrence started her cycling journey with the family quint bike and hasn’t stopped since. She's already won 27 national titles, including five elite titles, competing at the highest level of performance. Most recently, She won the collegiate sprint title for the fifth year in a row and helped Marian finish first as a team during Nationals in mid-September.
Stephanie Lawrence trains with her teammates in the cycling center at Marian University in Indianapolis, Ind., on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. Lawrence attended a camp before Juniors Track Nationals in the summer of 2020 at the velodrome in Indianapolis, run by Marian University. She was planning to move to Pennsylvania that fall for college, where she had no plans to join any collegiate team. When she showed up at Marian and met the coaches and athletes, however, her perspective shifted. “The way they talked about cycling and talked about being on the team, I wanted to be a part of that,” Lawrence said. “It sounded so fun, and they made it sound like cycling was what I wanted it to be again.”
Stephanie Lawrence carries groceries and bike wheels into her apartment building in Indianapolis, Ind., on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. Some of Lawrence’s first memories on the track are when her parents, who both ride, took their kids to a velodrome in their hometown of Colorado Springs. She fell in love with riding at the age of four. Her mom has one Masters track title. Her dad has amassed 11 Masters track titles, riding almost as fast as the elite women cyclists in the country. “That's what I want to be when I grow up,” she thought.
Stephanie Lawrence grabs a water bottle from her boyfriend Fred Meredith during a training session around Indianapolis, Ind., and surrounding towns on Wednesday, July 2, 2025. A 15-hour drive away from the other four pedalers on that quint bike of her childhood, Lawrence has turned to her teammate and boyfriend Fred Meredith helps Lawrence with bike setups and confidence-building. “As a teammate, she’s one of the best people you can have in your corner,” he said. “Steph’s very level two weeks out from the race and two minutes before the race.”
Stephanie Lawrence and her boyfriend Fred Meredith share a kiss as they build up new bikes at Major Taylor Velodrome in Indianapolis, Ind., on Tuesday, July 15, 2025. The two met after Meredith came to the United States from his native country of Wales two years ago to join the Marian cycling team. Now, they live together in a house on the west side of Indianapolis, with bikes organized neatly in the basement. Over the past three seasons, Meredith has watched as Lawrence's passion for the sport developed even as she maintains her composure.
Stephanie Lawrence celebrates winning a race during BikeParty Indianapolis’ Track Night at Major Taylor Velodrome in Indianapolis, Ind., on Friday, Aug. 8, 2025. Once a race starts, Lawrence transforms into a contender at the highest level. “She does have this switch, and she'll flip it over and become this really fierce competitor,” Marian cycling director and head coach John Hoopingarner said. “She doesn't want to lose. And you can tell just that she's in it to win it.”
Stephanie Lawrence adjusts her gold medals after the final day of the 2025 Collegiate Track National Championships at Major Taylor Velodrome in Indianapolis, Ind., on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025. Over the past four years of college, Lawrence has pushed herself to excel both on the track and on the road. In addition to racing on the collegiate level, she has traveled the world racing for the Star Track Union Cycliste Internationale track team and the Fearless Femme Racing professional road team, sporting head-to-toe-to-bike sponsorships during each race.
Stephanie Lawrence and her dad Jim Lawrence add corn on the cob to the grill at Stephanie’s home in Indianapolis, Ind., on Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025. Lawrence attributes her speed and success to her support system at Marian, her coaches and her family. The local cycling community has helped her learn to love the sport again and go farther than she ever imagined.
Stephanie Lawrence leads the team around the track during the team pursuit on day one of the 2025 Collegiate Track National Championships at Major Taylor Velodrome in Indianapolis, Ind., on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. Marian University took first place with a time of 4:55.99. One of Lawrence’s favorite parts about competing is the mental game. “It’s like playing chess, and you’re making a million decisions in a split second,” she said. “You have to get every move right. And strategically, you have to be sound and you have to be fast enough.”
Stephanie Lawrence moves wheels around while working before a race at Major Taylor Velodrome in Indianapolis, Ind., on Thursday, June 5, 2025. When her dad wasn’t racing around the track during Lawrence’s childhood, the duo would watch races from the infield, analyzing mistakes and discussing race strategies, which Lawrence said has helped her immensely in her cycling career. “Unmatched,” her dad said when talking about his daughter’s skills on the bike. “Tactically, she’s better than anyone I’ve ever seen.”
Stephanie Lawrence rides during a training session around Indianapolis, Ind., and surrounding towns on Wednesday, July 2, 2025. Lawrence said the feelings she gets from cycling is indescribable. “There’s nothing like going fast,” she said. “You become so focused and so dialed in. In that moment everything goes quiet and you can just experience the speed and the funness of a bike.”