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?Megan McCarthy has been named the Hospital for Special Surgery Scholar-Athlete of the Month for November 2013. The John Jay Cross Country standout boasts a 3.973 GPA while pursuing an International Criminal Justice bachelor's degree. John Jay is the only college in the country to offer that major.
A CUNYAC All-Star in her rookie season, McCarthy was an integral part of the Bloodhounds' third place finish at the CUNYAC Cross Country Championship, finishing 15th overall with a time of 28:56. Earning a bid to NCAA Regionals, the squad traveled upstate to compete. There, McCarthy ran her best time for the season, finishing the 6k course in 27:51- shaving 53 seconds off of her first recorded race this season.
"Megan is the epitome of what it is to be a student-athlete," said head coach Tony Phillips. "She works very hard in the classroom and on the field of play."
On campus, the sophomore from Levittown is a member of the John Jay Honors Program. After her freshman year, McCarthy was recommended to join John Jay's tutoring program in their writing center, helping students with academic difficulties.
"There are no applications to get into the program; your professor must recommend you and you need the grades to back it up," explained McCarthy. "I enjoy writing, so being recommended into the tutoring program reassured me that I'm good at what I like to do."
In her "free" time, McCarthy likes to stay active by crossfit training and, recently, her and a few teammates founded John Jay's Track Club.
For McCarthy, balancing athletics, academics and recreation isn't always an easy task. She believes time management is the key to juggling her schedule.
"I do my best to keep practice and homework separate," said McCarthy. "When I was at practice, I focused solely on running and when I was doing homework, I wasn't worrying about running."
McCarthy recognizes important similarities between time spent in the classroom and time spent running. She attributes this to her all around success.
"Both require focus, determination and work. Neither can be done half-heartedly if you want to be successful. When you find success in one area, you want it in all the others- this is the same motivation and determination that I use both in the classroom and on the course."