PDF Display
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
Karen Mak
Brooklyn College
Sophomore with a 3.98 GPA in Kinesiology
Guard from New York, NY and Eleanor Roosevelt High School
Karen Mak has been named the CUNYAC/Hospital for Special Surgery Scholar-Athlete of the Month for February 2016. Following her third semester as a Kinesiology major with a perfect 4.0 GPA, the captain and New York, NY native currently carries a 3.98 cumulative GPA.
The sophomore guard has been playing basketball for almost 7 years now and participated on the girl’s varsity team during all four years of high school at Eleanor Roosevelt. Mak totaled 1,042 career points, 425 career rebounds and 249 career assists. Revealing talent and potential early on, Mak was named Rookie of the Year at Eleanor Roosevelt. Brooklyn Head Coach Alex Lang recognized Mak as a future asset to the Bulldogs, and recruited her. Mak’s decision to attend Brooklyn stemmed from “Brooklyn’s large, beautiful campus, and of course, playing for Coach Alex.”
"Karen has been a major contributor on and off the court for us so far this season. It is gratifying as a coach to see a student-athlete balance academics with athletics as well as she does,” said Head Coach, Alex Lang
Starting all seven games during the month of February, the sophomore captain helped the Bulldogs to a 6-0 record leading up to the CUNYAC Championship game. Following BC's 76-70 CUNYAC semifinal win against CSI, Mak was named the Army ROTC Player of the Game, finishing with 18 points, six assists, and six rebounds. She would be named to the All-Tournament Team for her efforts during the CUNYAC Championships. Raising her averages statistically across the board during the month, she averaged 12.0 points per game and 6.7 assists per game in February.
“I definitely want to get better, people tell me I can become really great, and I think I have enough confidence to do that.” Mak feels that the secret to success is within, “Be confident in yourself, and don’t be afraid of anything-being scared of judgement holds you back from reaching your true potential.”
When Karen Mak isn’t on the court or in the classroom, she can be found studying or spending time with her teammates in the Quad. In order to be a successful student-athlete, Mak has the key, “the only way to make it work is to balance my time effectively by prioritizing properly. It takes sacrifice, but it’s well worth it.” Mak and her fellow Bulldogs stay connected during the offseason to maintain team chemistry.
Head Coach Alex Lang is clearly impressed by his captain’s character, “Karen Mak has exemplified the term ‘student-athlete.’ Karen shows great sportsmanship, hard work and teamwork within everything she does on and off the court.” Mak revealed true leadership and heart during the CUNYAC Championship game on February 27th against #1 seeded Lehman College Lightning. Trailing 63-61 with under 13 seconds on the clock, the sophomore Bulldog guard dribbled the ball from half court for a layup from the right side, forcing overtime. The Bulldogs ultimately fell to the Lehman Lightning 73-67. “I felt mixed emotions, I was excited but very fatigued. I wanted to win so badly,” Mak reflects on the championship game.
The Captain and court general, Mak, is able to reflect and learn from her experiences, “Losses are important, we were a bit nervous in the beginning of the game,but we have really built our chemistry, and to play that well, we were very proud of ourselves. That game taught us not to take anything for granted.” The Bulldogs qualified for the ECAC Metro/Upstate Tournament and returned home as Champions. Mak shared her ECAC experience, “We didn’t feel pressure, because we knew exactly what was going to come. We had to execute everything. We didn’t have much time to prepare but we played great defense and ran our plays.” Guard, Karen Mak was named the ECAC Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
Most athletes idolize professional athletes, but Karen Mak simply looks to her left and right on the court for inspiration. “Each coach I’ve had has pushed me in a different way, Assistant Coach Brit always keeps me on track and focused on the task at hand. I was very nervous as a freshman and I have developed into the player that I am today because of the constant support from my coaches and teammates.” Mak is excited and confident about next season because the whole Bulldog team will be returning. “I know we can accomplish anything, we just need to give 100% and be confident.”
As for her plans for the future, Mak has already found her niche and is passionate about becoming a physical education teacher. “I just love kids! When people ask me what I want to be, and I tell them-they always say ‘there’s no money there,’ but I don’t care because I know I can make a difference.”
“I feel honored to be recognized for my hard work on and off court, I’m lost for words.” Mak said when asked what it was like to be named HSS Scholar-Athlete of the Month for February. “It’s an amazing feeling, and now I’m going to push even harder to be a better me.”
CUNYAC/Hospital for Special Surgery Honorable Mentions (In order of submission)
All Honorable Mention information is courtesy of the institution’s sports information staff
Amy Anunagba at CCNY
Freshman with 3.6 GPA in Geology
Women's Track from Bronx, NY and Atlantic Hall
Amy Anunagba boasts a 3.6 GPA in geology (pre-med) while also being an integral part of the CCNY women's track and field team. She was named CUNYAC field athlete of the week three times during the season. She also took first place in the CUNYAC Championship in the triple jump.
Ryan Markoe at Baruch
Senior with 3.9 GPA in Finance
Guard from Staten Island, NY and M.S.I.T.
Ryan tied a career-high with 23 points (6-8 3fg) in the 2015-16 CUNYAC Tournament 1st round home win vs. Hunter (2/18). He totaled 14 points in a road contest at Staten Island (2/12). Ryan also dished out a career-high, nine assists in home win vs Hunter (1/22)The Senior scored a season-high 15 points in win at Brooklyn (1/8). He is a member of the team that won the 2015-16 CUNYAC Championship vs Brooklyn on ESPN3 and went on to play in the NCAA Tournament. Markoe scored career-high 23 points in the double OT championship win vs Brooklyn (2/27/15).
Dennis Melendez at Hunter
Senior with 3.707 GPA in Psychology/Double Minor in Biological Sciences/Physical Anthropology
Wrestler from Elmont, NY and Elmont Memorial HS
Dennis Melendez had a fantastic month at Hunter as he competed in the DIII Wrestling East Regionals in Virginia. Melendez swept his weight class, defeating four straight wrestlers to win the regional title and punch a ticket to the National Championships. Melendez will compete at Nationals on March 11th, 2016.
Omicamy Ramos at BMCC
Freshman with 4.0 GPA in Liberal Arts
Guard from Brooklyn, NY and Hillcrest High School
Freshman guard, Omicamy Ramos has started every game for the Lady Panthers this past month. Her best performance came against the Rockland Hawks, when she recorded 8 points and 9 rebounds. Ramos has excelled off the court as well, the freshman liberal arts major has a GPA of 4.0 in her first year of college.
Aker-Mark Bayley-Hay at Medgar Evers College
Senior with 3.874 GPA
Center from Miami, FL and Flanagan High School
This month Aker-Mark Bayley-Hay averaged 12.3 minutes per game, 1.8 points per game and 4 rebounds per game. This senior has maintained an impressive 3.874 GPA.
Kailyn Richburg at LaGuardia CC
Sophomore with 3.271 GPA in Liberal Arts
Guard from Brooklyn, NY and Medgar Evers Prep
Kailyn Richburg recently completed her LaGuardia career as the school's all-time leader in points, assists, steals, field-goals made, and free throws made. Additionally, Richburg ranked third in the nation in 2015-16 in assists with 193. In 10 February games, Richburg averaged 14.3 points, 6.2 assists and 2.7 steals per game. She averaged 15.5 points and 6.0 assists during the two CUNYAC Tournament games in which Richburg led the team to its first ever Conference Championship.
Semina Radoncic at Bronx CC
Freshman with 3.200 GPA in Education
Forward from Bronx, NY and Herbert H. Lehman HS
#12 Semina Radoncic plays the Forward position in the Broncos team strategy. In February 2016, she played in 8 games and her average playing time was 10 minutes. Her points per game average was 1 point per game while making 30% of her shots. Her rebound average for the month was 3 rebounds per game. Radoncic adapted well to team culture and has excellent work habits. She has build a strong foundation toward excellence in all she does.
Connect with CUNY Athletics
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Google+ | YouTube | Android App | iPhone App