Alex Markes

Classroom

Alex Markes currently holds a 3.79 cumulative grade point average and is expected to graduate in May of 2015 with a degree in Biology. An excellent student-athlete, he was named to the NSCAA University Division Men’s Scholar All-East Region team as a junior. Markes was accepted into the HHMI-Brown Summer Scholars Research Program during the summer of 2013, concentrating on genetic research. Most recently, he spent this past summer as a research intern at the Rhode Island Hospital Cardiovascular Research Center.

Character

Markes has continued to set a strong example for the men’s soccer team through his play on the field, dedication in the classroom, and leadership in the community. Markes is a mentor at Brown’s New Scientist Program, which focuses on individual tutoring through both social and academic guidance. Markes has also successfully monitored the effects of sickle cell trait, which can hinder his stamina in workouts and high heat, to become one of the top defenders on the team.

Community

Markes is an active member of the Brown and Providence community. He is the Co-President of Happy Feet, a program connected with the Crossroads Rhode Island homeless service shelter in Providence, which brings in a licensed podiatrist once a month for extensive treatment. He works with Project GOAL, a non-profit organization, to facilitate the development of Rhode Island’s disadvantaged youth through after-school tutoring and soccer-related programs. Markes also fostered a partnership with Hamiliton House, an adult learning center in Providence, and most recently set up a guest lecture series over the next year with the first academic-based speakers for the program. He is also a volunteer at Hamilton House and Vartan Gregorian Elementary School.

Competition

Markes was an All-Ivy Honorable Mention selection as a junior after leading a backline that ranked third in the league in goals allowed last season. He was also given the Thomas Gertken Award after the season, awarded to the team’s top defensive player. Markes has been a mainstay on the Brown defense since his freshman season, starting 51 games over the last three years, and helped the Bears to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances and the Ivy League title in 2011. He started all 19 games as a sophomore when the Bears tied the school record for shutouts in a single season, notching 11 for the third year in a row.