Baruch College junior men's tennis star Leonard Margolis was named the CUNYAC/Hospital for Special Surgery Scholar-Athlete of the Month for March 2018.
“It feels great to be recognized for all the work I put into both my academics and athletics," said Margolis about being honored as the Scholar-Athlete of the Month.
Margolis finished the month of March with a perfect 6-0 singles record. He also finished with a 5-1 doubles ledger in March, only losing to an impressive Yeshiva University squad on Mar. 4.
According to Baruch Head Tennis Coach Gregory Wyzykowski, Margolis' hard work extends not just to his success on the tennis court, it extends tremendously to his own studies as well.
“Leonard has demonstrated a good balance between his academic and athletic responsibilities. He is a pleasure to work with and is very coachable," quoted Wyzykowski.
Wyzykowski then added, “Most importantly, he is very unselfish, as he sacrifices his time to help the younger players on the team.”
Margolis has been playing tennis since he was six years old, quoting, “Competing in tennis matches has always been special to me because it’s a grind of both physical and mental strength.”
Picking Baruch College as his school was always a no-brainer for Margolis. He stated, “I chose Baruch because it is an upper echelon business school in New York City with a reputation for both cultivating and placing the best people.”
Margolis currently owns a 3.92 grade-point average, in addition to majoring in Accounting and minoring in Advanced Organization Psychology.
Margolis' athletic background is not strictly limited to just collegiate tennis. “My interests and hobbies are all sports related. I love watching the four major American sports and playing them with my friends whenever I get the chance,” quoted Margolis.
When it comes down to balancing a daily lifestyle of academics and athletics, the senior believes that successfully managing the two comes down to one thing -- time management.
“It’s definitely challenging trying to balance academics and athletics because both require large time commitments and often conflict with each other. Finding the perfect balance is key to successfully managing both,” stated Margolis.
In his four years at Baruch, Margolis has come to the realization that there are plenty of similarities between learning in a classroom and competing on the court. “I think there are similarities between the classroom and any sport.”
Margolis continued, “For tennis specifically, however, the mental requirements of the game mimic critical thinking required in the classroom.”
Participating in collegiate athletics has definitely widened Margolis' perspective of organization and self-motivation. “Collegiate athletics has taught me a lot about time management, teamwork and the importance of confidence in your teammates, your coach and yourself,” said Margolis.
Perhaps Margolis' most impressive victory in his collegiate career came in the first round of last year’s NCAA Tournament, where he and fellow teammate, Hugo Castalan, posted an 8-3 victory in the No. 2 doubles flight, ultimately guiding Baruch to a 5-3 win over Colby-Sawyer College.
His first-round victory in last year’s national tournament remains to be his most memorable achievement throughout his collegiate career.
As for Margolis’ future after graduation, he simply believes that in a competitive field such as accounting, it’s difficult to predict what his future plans can be. “There are many possible career paths with an accounting major: auditing, industry accounting, tax, etc.”
Margolis optimistically concluded, “At the moment, I don’t know which path I’ll take, but being an accounting major gives me plenty of choices.”
With just over two weeks until the conference playoffs, Margolis, who holds a 7-2 record in singles play, has helped Baruch to a 6-3 overall record and 3-0 mark against CUNYAC opposition. The first round of the CUNYAC/HSS Men's Tennis Championship is set for Friday, Apr. 27 at home sites.