DIIICA names Cleveland national student-athlete of the year
SUWANEE, Ga. – In an announcement made by the Division III Commissioner's Association (DIIICA) this afternoon, track and field graduate Max Cleveland was recognized as Male Student-Athlete of the Year.
Cleveland and Alexandra Turvey of Pomona-Pitzer College emerged as the national male and female winners from a pool of 20 regional honorees, which were announced at the end of August. This is the third year the Association has sponsored a Women's Sport and Men's Sport Student-Athlete of the Year.
"The American Rivers Conference is extremely proud of Max for receiving this honor!" said A-R-C Commissioner Marie Stroman. "He is a proven leader due to the formative growth he experienced at Simpson College. This recognition demonstrates that hard work in and out of the classroom produces not only a successful, but also rewarding, student-athlete experience exemplary of Division III values."
Cleveland consistently demonstrated excellence both on the track and in the classroom while at Simpson. While triple majoring in human services, psychology and religion, Cleveland maintained a near-perfect grade point average of 3.959. He was recognized as an Academic All-American in 2024 by the College Sports Communicators (CSC) and was a four-time A-R-C Academic All-Conference honoree, three-time USTFCCCA All-Academic Individual, and two-time CSC Academic All-District recipient.
On the track, Cleveland earned three All-American trophies to go with five all-region and six all-conference honors. He earned First Team All-American honors at the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 110-meter hurdles and Second Team All-American honors in the indoor 60-meter hurdles and outdoor 110-meter hurdles in 2024. He graduated with two school records (indoor 300 meters, indoor 60 hurdles) and was a four-time national qualifier.
Cleveland was also heavily involved in extracurriculars at Simpson and in the community. He served as a youth group leader and counselor for seventh and eighth graders at Indianola Community Church, volunteered at a local retirement community, volunteered at middle school and high school track events, engaged with local youth at an annual Halloween Trunk or Treat, and participated in Meals for the Heartland. His leadership skills came from being a captain of the men's track and field team, being a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Leadership Team, serving as a sexual assault response advocate (SARA) at Simpson, and being a member of the Psychology Honor Society and Light Company.
About the DIIICA Student-Athlete of the Year Award
The DIIICA Male and Female Student-Athlete of the Year Awards honor graduating student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service, and leadership.
The DIII membership is divided into 10 regions to name a regional award winner. Each region will select one female sport participant and one male sport participant to receive regional awards. Those individuals will be forwarded to the DIIICA Awards Committee for national consideration.
About the DIIICA
The Division III Commissioners Association became a stand-alone organization in January 1992, after previously serving as a combined group with the Division II Commissioners Association. The association is comprised of 43 NCAA Division III conferences, representing over 440 public and private institutions. The purpose of the DIIICA is to empower commissioners to effectively lead their conferences and positively impact Division III intercollegiate athletics by identifying challenges, developing solutions, and taking collective action that reflects the conference perspective.
