Men's Track & Field

MARSHALL NAMED ICCAC ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

MARSHALL NAMED ICCAC ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Posted: Feb 23, 2023

Ottumwa, IA – Sophomore Rivaldo Marshall's (Kingston, Jamaica/Calabar) remarkable indoor season has been rewarded with the 2023 Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) Indoor Track Athlete of the Year award.

Marshall captured the 2023 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region XI Indoor Track & Field Championship in the men's 1,000-meter run with a facility and meet record at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, IA on February 18. The sophomore standout was selected as the ICCAC Athlete of the Year following a vote by the conference coaches.

"This award is really a culmination of months of focused, relentless hard work," stated head coach Brent Ewing. "The level that Rivaldo has been training this entire year is truly unparalleled. He has set his mind on accomplishing his goals and hasn't once looked back."

At the NJCAA Region XI Championship, Marshall posted a time of 2:25.93 in the 1,000m to set a new standard. Marshall shattered the three-year old meet record by over three seconds to win the region title. The sophomore, who previously posted a personal best time of 2:23.23 in the 1,000m, ranks fourth all-time in NJCAA history in the event.

Marshall's record-breaking season has included a number of individual accolades and accomplishments that have stacked on top of a dominant freshman season from a year ago. Throughout the 2022-23 indoor season, Marshall has been named the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Athlete of the Week three times, the NJCAA Athlete of the Week twice, and the ICCAC Athlete of the Week four times. As a freshman, Marshall earned NJCAA All-American honors in both the indoor and outdoor seasons and captured the outdoor 800m national championship.

Marshall becomes the fourth Indian Hills student-athlete to be recognized as the ICCAC Indoor Track Athlete of the Year, and third consecutive under head coach Brent Ewing. Aurel Tchanbi (2021-22), Jackson Burnett (2020-21), and Kenny Bednarek (2018-19) have all previously been recognized by the conference for the annual honor.

Marshall helped lead the Warriors to a third-place team finish at the NJCAA Region XI Championships. Throughout the duration of the indoor season, Indian Hills has been ranked in the top-four in the USTFCCCA national polls.

"If you know Rivaldo," Ewing added, "you know how great of a teammate and person he is. As much as this award is about his accomplishment, it's really about who Rivaldo is to his core. I'm proud to say I am his coach."

Marshall has set three new indoor school records this year – the 600-meter run, the 800-meter run, and 1,000-meter run and owns five school records in total.

Marshall and the Warriors will now head to the NJCAA National Championship March 3-4 in Topeka, KS at Washburn University.