MARQUES NAMED UT MARTIN REPRESENTATIVE OF OHIO VALLEY CONFERENCE COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD

Natalie Marques, who recently wrapped up her senior season on the University of Tennessee at Martin equestrian squad, was spotlighted today as one of 20 Ohio Valley Conference Community Service Award winners for the 2023-24 academic year.           

Marques joins Anna Ordonio (equestrian, 2022-23) and Parker Stewart (men’s basketball, 2022-23) as the only Skyhawks to ever win this award, which debuted last summer. The OVC Community Service Award recognizes outstanding student-athletes for the contributions they make away from the playing surface, both on campus and in the community.           

“The OVC has always been about a sense of community,” OVC Commissioner Beth DeBauche said. “We are delighted to continue to bestow these awards to these outstanding student-athletes who are giving back to their communities.”           

Hailing from Katonah, NY, Marques earned 175.5 hours of community service during her senior year alone. That accomplishment led to her receiving the Phil Dane Community Service Award at the UTMmys, recognizing the most community service hours of any Skyhawk student-athlete for the past season.

 Marques worked weekly with Lifeline Blood Services, based out of nearby Jackson, Tenn. She was the primary Blood Drive coordinator for UT Martin, a role in which she recruited students to donate, set up competitions and prizes for organizations/clubs to earn through giving and helping run the on-campus drives. She personally donated every eight weeks for a Lifeline initiative that serves the entire West Tennessee region.         

Marques also led the charge for her team to collect pull tabs for the Ronald McDonald House Charities as the Skyhawks earned first-place honors for organizations in Tennessee this past year.           

As a member of the ROTC program, Marques led 5k runs and team building exercises for teams and academic departments on campus. She was also a key member of UT Martin’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, helping organize the budget for the annual “Hawks for the Holidays” program ran by the Northwest Division of Family Services. As part of that venture, Skyhawk student-athletes donated nearly $1,000 of their own money and worked for tips as guest baristas around town to shop, wrap and deliver Christmas presents to area children.

Marques was part of a pair of Eastern College Athletic Conference reserve championships in the last two seasons. The Jumping Seat rider helped UT Martin secure a top-10 ranking in all 19 National Collegiate Equestrian Association polls in 2023-24 under head coach Kim Leiter.

In the classroom, Marques is responsible for a 3.65 cumulative Grade Point Average as she earned a spot on the UT Martin Athletic Director Honor Roll in each of the last four semesters after transferring from Sacred Heart University.