POUGHKEEPSIE, New York – Senior
Steven Rizzo of the Marist cross country/track & field teams was one of four collegiate finalists for the Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup, which was presented Wednesday night at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta.
The Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup, presented by Athletes for a Better World, is presented to two high school, one collegiate, and one professional athlete each year who best display character, teamwork, and citizenship. The award was first presented at the professional and collegiate levels in 2005. Past recipients include Peyton Manning, Jack Nicklaus, Pat Summitt, Tim Tebow, and Dick Vitale.
Legendary sports journalist Bob Ryan served as master of ceremonies of this year's event. This year's winners were Johann Koss (professional, four-time Olympic gold medalist), Ashley Marcus (collegiate), Hope Vera Baldwin (high school), and Ethan Shuster (high school).
Rizzo has been involved in several projects on and off campus in his time at Marist. On campus, being a certified ally has enabled him to provide support to members of the LGBTQ community. He has also been a part of Marist's Student Government Association and has served as a peer mentor. The native of nearby Wappingers Falls has written grants for projects aimed at providing safer drinking water in his hometown. He has volunteered his time to several organizations, including Knights of Columbus, Special Olympics, and New York Blood Center.
Rizzo has been exemplary in the classroom. He is an Economics major with a dual minor in Business and Public Relations. Last year, he was a CoSIDA Academic All-District selection. He has qualified for the Dean's List in every semester he has been at Marist, and is a multi-year member of the MAAC All-Academic Team and Academic Honor Roll.
For the past two seasons, Rizzo has served as cross country/track & field captain. He has qualified for the IC4A Championships, and has played a key role school record relay teams. He is also one of just 25 runners in program history to break 15 minutes in the 5,000 meters.
