Former Simpson College track and field standout Max Cleveland has been named a finalist for the 2023-24 Duane Schroeder Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award, as announced by the American Rivers Conference on Tuesday.

Cleveland joins Cael Schmitt (Coe, men’s basketball) and Owen Grover (Wartburg, football) as this year’s finalists. All three athletes will go before the full group of nine faculty athletics representatives for review and vote, with the winner slated to be announced on Jan. 8, 2025.

A three-time All-American, Cleveland graduated summa cum laude in May 2024 with a degree in human services, psychology, and religion. The Indianola, Iowa native achieved a 3.959 cumulative grade point average and was announced as the Division III Commissioners Association (DIIICA) National Scholar-Athlete of the Year earlier this fall. Cleveland also earned College Sport Communicators (CSC) Academic All-American honors in 2024, was a two-time academic all-district honoree, and earned A-R-C Academic All-Conference honors four times.

In volunteer and community service roles, Cleveland served as a youth group leader and counselor for seventh and eighth graders at Indianola Community Church. He volunteered at a local retirement community and at middle school and high school track meets. He engaged with the local youth at an annual Halloween Trunk or Treat and participated in Meals for the Heartland. Cleveland was an active member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and served as a Sexual Assault Response Advocate (SARA) on Simpson’s campus.
Along with being a four-time national qualifier, Cleveland earned all-region accolades five times and was a six-time A-R-C All-Conference performer. He graduated from Simpson holding two school records.