Flushing, NY --- A biology and pre-med major, Aleksandr Kopach has excelled both in and out of the classroom at Kingsborough Community College over the last two years. A Dean’s List and Kingsborough Honors Program student, he boasts an outstanding grade point average of 3.95 in the classroom.
During the month of May, he added All-American track runner and CUNY Athletic Conference Community College Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year to his resume. He closes the books being honored as the CUNYAC / Hospital For Special Surgery Scholar-Athlete of the Month for May 2010.
As a runner, Kopach competes in all three seasons: cross country in the fall, indoor track and field in the winter, and outdoor track and field in the spring. In 2009, he won the CUNYAC Community College Men’s Cross Country individual championship. Despite sitting out the 2010 CUNYAC Outdoor Championship with tightness in his leg, his team still won the CUNYAC title. Kopach returned to the track the following week at the NJCAA Division III National Championships at Howard Community College in Maryland.
Kopach qualified for the 800 Meter final for the second year in a row with a time of 2:00.08. In the final two days later he struggled with his legs, taking eight (2:04.61), but he ran a leg of the Wave's 4 x 800 Meter Relay that win the silver medal with a team season-best 8:04.40 time.
“Aleksandr is a very disciplined athlete and student,” said KCC track coach Dave Loobie. “He’s an exceptionally hard worker. On trips he always has his head buried in his school books.”
When he joined the team at KCC, Kopach was entirely new to the sport, which makes what he’s achieved even more impressive. “He had not run track before college, so what he has accomplished in a short time is remarkable,” said Loobie. “His will, in terms of working hard, has really paid off.”
“I spent four years in the U.S. Army,” said Kopach. “I always ran in the Army, but not in terms of track. I went to Kingsborough to get an education. That they had a track team was a plus. I always liked being part of a team.”
Beyond KCC, Kopach intends to continue at Stony Brook University as a bio-chem/pre-med major. Once again, the fact that Stony Brook has a track team is a plus. “Oh yes, I’m hoping to continue running track, too,” he said.