Livingstone College guard earns Marine Corps Excellence in Leadership Award

Lt. Col. David Rodgers (right), Marine Corps Recruiting Command's assistant chief of staff for diversity recruiting, and Capt. Nicole Bastian, an Officer Selection Officer based out of Tallahassee, Fla., present Livingstone College senior guard #11 Mark Thomas with the Marine Corps' Excellence in Leadership Award after the Livingstone College Blue Bears defeated the Fayetteville State University Broncos 79-73 during the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association men's basketball tournament semifinals in the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, N.C., on Feb. 28, 2014. The recipient of the award exemplifies leadership attributes on the court, in the classroom and in all aspects of her life. The United States Marine Corps recognizes that the recruitment of qualified and skilled leaders from diverse backgrounds is essential to its future and is committed to continuing the legacy that these Marines have set forth. The institutions participating in the CIAA Tournament exhibit the excellence in leadership that embodies the Marine Corps' core values of honor, courage, and commitment. The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) basketball tournament is touted as being the third most attended basketball tournament among all NCAA divisions. The CIAA was founded in 1912 as the Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association and is the oldest African-American athletic conference in the Nation. The CIAA consists of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) spanning the East Coast from Pennsylvania to North Carolina. (Official USMC photo by Staff Sgt. Greg Thomas)