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CUNYAC Scholar-Athlete of the Month Presented by the Hospital for Special Surgery

For all of the 2015-16 award winners, visit cunyathletics.com/saotmawards

For more CUNYAC Scholar-Athlete of the Month History, visit cunyathletics.com/saotmhistory

Maxwell Berkow
Macaulay Honors College at CCNY
Junior with a 3.98 GPA in Chemical Engineering
Men’s Soccer Goalkeeper from New York, NY and Stuyvesant High School

Maxwell Berkow has been named the CUNYAC/Hospital for Special Surgery Scholar-Athlete of the Month for October 2015. The New York City native has maintained a 3.98 GPA in Chemical Engineering at CCNY while being a key member of the 2015 CUNYAC Tournament Men’s Soccer championship team.

This is the second time that Berkow has been named Scholar-Athlete of the Month which makes him the 20 student-athlete to accomplish the feat multiple times and the third Beaver to become a multiple winner.

"It feels good,” said Berkow. “You try to do your best on and off the field it's a struggle sometimes balancing it all out but it's been working well so far."

Berkow, the New York City native, has accumulated an impressive GPA of 3.88 while studying the demanding major of chemical engineering on a full scholarship for the Macaulay Honors College. This has landed Berkow on the Dean’s List every semester.

Regarding the challenges he faces balancing his difficult major with athletics, Berkow said, “It takes up a lot of time and it will cut into your sleep, but I think it’s worth it because soccer for me is a calming experience where you can get rid of your stress from school work. I find that I tend to do better in school when I’m playing a sport like soccer.”

On where he might end up after college, "I am a Mechanical engineer but not so sure what I am going to do in the near future,” said Berkow. “I might get into chemical engineering but I haven't decided yet"

On the field this season, the goalkeeper was a key contributor to CCNY’s CUNYAC Tournament title to end the season. The Beavers defeated #6 Hunter in the quarterfinals then upset #2 Brooklyn in the semis and #1 CSI in the finals. The CUNYAC Championship game came down to a thrilling overtime match where the Beavers scored the golden goal to win the game.

Berkow has nine career shutouts defending the goal for his squad. His save percentage has been through the roof with it at .851 as a freshman, .811 as a sophomore, and .769 as a junior. Maxwell isn’t new to receiving accolades for his performance either earning CUNYAC Rookie of the Year in 2013 and CUNYAC October 2014 Scholar Athlete of the Month in addition to numerous weekly awards from both CUNYAC and the ECAC. Also, Maxwell was named to the Athletic Academic Honor Roll and earned Macaulay Honors his sophomore year at CCNY.

"Maxwell is a ‘true’ scholar athlete. His almost 4.0 GPA demonstrates, his academic dedication to his future career to come. His ability to not compromise that dedication, yet incorporate the rigors of a team sport, make him that exceptional." said Head Coach Roberto Ignaccolo.