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.

*this story was a press release from Simpson College and the Division III Commissioner’s Association