Men's Soccer

MARQUES EARNS NJCAA LEA PLARSKI AWARD

MARQUES EARNS NJCAA LEA PLARSKI AWARD
Posted: Jun 06, 2022

Ottumwa, IA – Pablo Marques (João Pessoa, Brazil/Colégio Meta) of the Indian Hills Men's Soccer team has been awarded the 2022 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Lea Plarski Award. An honor given annually to a junior college student-athlete who best exemplifies sportsmanship, leadership, community service, academic excellence, and athletic ability, Marques becomes the first Indian Hills student-athlete to earn the prestigious award.

In his first season as a member of the men's soccer program at Indian Hills, Marques helped guide the Warriors as team captain under first-year head coach Kevin Nuss to the NJCAA DI Men's Soccer Region XI semifinal round. Marques started all 20 contests on the year and led the team in scoring with 13 goals and 31 points while adding five assists. Marques was named to the NJCAA All-Region XI First-Team for his efforts on the field while also collecting NJCAA National Player of the Week honors on Sept. 2 and ICCAC Athlete of the Week honors on Sept. 1.

"Pablo is a once-in-a-decade type of player for a coach," stated Nuss. Not only is he an excellent player, his work ethic is incredible. He is a leader that gets the best of everyone around him. He can be extremely competitive but still have a smile on his face. Pablo is an excellent example for his teammates. I am humbled to be a small part of his career. I am so proud of what he has accomplished so far and I am excited to see what his future holds."

Along with Marques' exceptional play on the field, the first-year student-athlete made an impact felt across the Indian Hills campus. Marques served as a Residence Advisor for on-campus housing and was a member of the International Club. Marques served on the Indian Hills Athletics Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and the NJCAA Student Athlete Advisory Committee. For his contributions to the Indian Hills campus and the Athletic Department, Marques was presented with the Heart of Service Award at the Indian Hills Athletics Choice Awards, an honor that recognizes a team or individual that contributes to the college campus and surrounding communities in the Indian Hills region.

An Associate of Arts major, Marques graduated during the spring term at Indian Hills with a cumulative 3.875 GPA and was named to the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) Academic All-Region First-Team during both the fall and spring terms.

Marques, who is competing for the Ocean City Nor'easters of the USL League Two (USL2) in Ocean City, NJ during the summer, has committed to attend the University of Tampa for next season, an NCAA Division II powerhouse program that has won three national championships.  

Marques will be formally recognized by the NJCAA at the 2022 NJCAA Foundation Awards event in Charlotte, NC on Friday, June 10 at the Hilton Charlotte Uptown at 6:30 PM ET.

To learn more about past Lea Plarski Award recipients, visit: Lea Plarski Award Winners

About the Lea Plarski Award

The NJCAA's Lea Plarski Award is handed out annually in the name of former NJCAA President Lea Plarski as recognition of her tremendous service to the NJCAA and two-year college athletics. The former director of athletics at St. Louis Community College/Florissant Valley, Plarski helped to establish the Women's Division of the NJCAA in 1975.  She served as Vice-President for Women from 1975-1990 when she made NJCAA history as the first female ever elected to the office of President, a position she held from 1990-1996. In honor of her numerous accomplishments, as well as her undeniable dedication to the student-athlete, the NJCAA Lea Plarski Award was created.  Since 1995, the award has been presented to an NJCAA student-athlete who exemplifies sportsmanship, leadership, community service, academic excellence, athletic ability, and achievements – qualities that were the cornerstones of the Plarski "era".