Wellesley's Ari Marks Earns Inaugural NEWMAC Student-Athlete of the Year Award
WESTWOOD, Mass. – Wellesley College track and field 2022 graduate Ari Marks (Eagle Point, Ore.) has been named one of the recipients of the 2021-22 NEWMAC (New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference) Student-Athlete of the Year Award.
Marks is one of four recipients of the inaugural NEWMAC Student-Athlete of the Year Award, which focuses on the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership. Oliver Thomas from WPI and Karenna Groff and David He from MIT also earned the honor.
"We are thrilled to introduce our four inaugural Student-Athlete of the Year honorees for the 2021-22 academic year and look forward to continuing to celebrate their incredible accomplishments and successes," expressed Executive Director Patrick B. Summers. "I am in awe of how our NEWMAC student-athletes continue to lead the way nationally with their commitment to academic and athletic excellence and their dedication to community service and leadership, while persevering through challenging times. We look forward to seeing all that they will achieve in their future endeavors!"
A selection committee made up of Athletic Directors, Senior Woman Administrators, Sports Information Directors and Athletics Diversity and Inclusion Designees reviewed all nominees and selected this year's honorees. Groff, He, Marks and Thomas will now become the NEWMAC's nominees for the Division III Commissioners Association Student-Athlete of the Year award, while Groff and Marks will also be the conference representatives for the NCAA Woman of the Year award.
Marks earned a degree in Political Science with a minor in Philosophy and is a four-time NEWMAC Academic All-Conference honoree and a three-time Academic All-American. As a student-athlete, Marks was a ROTC commissionee and is also a member of the Army National Guard as a newly-commissioned second lieutenant.
As both a cross country and track and field student-athlete, Marks was the 2021 NEWMAC Cross Country Athlete of the Year, a two-time Regional Athlete of the Year and was named the 2022 National Women's Track Athlete of the Year. Marks is a two-time individual event NCAA National Champion and a National Runner-Up at the 2021 NCAA Cross Country Championship with a total of five All-America accolades throughout cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field combined. Most recently, Marks was named the DIII Honda Athlete of the Year finalist for Track & Field
Off the course and track, Marks has worked in the community and on campus, coaching at a high school running camp and as a Sustainability Officer at Wellesley College. As a dedicated member of the Army ROTC, Marks was a Platoon Leader, organizing and overseeing the training progress and academic development of a platoon-sized element of ROTC cadets. The student-athlete was also a Cadet Intern for the Engineer Unit, shadowing an active-duty platoon leader in the 555th EN BDE.
For more on all of the 2021-22 NEWMAC Student-Athlete of the Year Award recipients, please visit NEWMACsports.com.
Wellesley Athletics strives for excellence at the conference, regional, and national levels, while providing opportunities for students to achieve their potential and learn the values of discipline, leadership, critical thinking, and responsibility to oneself and others.