SAN FRANCISCO – Cal senior oarsman Maarten Hurkmans has been named the Pac-12 Men's Rowing Scholar-Athlete of the Year, the conference office announced on Thursday morning. This marks the second consecutive year in which a Golden Bear has earned Scholar-Athlete of the Year recognition, with Natan Wegrzycki-Szymczyk '18 collecting the honor last season.

The Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award was established by the conference during the 2007-08 school year to honor collegiate student-athletes that are standouts both academically and in their sports discipline, and is presented annually in each of the 24 sports the Pac-12 sponsors. In order to be eligible for the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, student-athletes must be a senior (in athletics eligibility) on track to receive a degree, have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher, participate in at least 50 percent of the scheduled contests in the sport and have a minimum of one year in residence at the institution.

A native of the Netherlands, Hurkmans boasts a 3.64 GPA and will graduate this Saturday with a degree in Business Administration, having been admitted into the prestigious Haas School of Business. Hurkmans is a two-time IRA All-Academic selection and has collected both First Team and Second Team Pac-12 All-Academic honors during his time in Berkeley.

Hurkmans' academic success goes along with excellence on the water, serving as a key member of the Bears' varsity eight throughout his four years. As a freshman in 2016, Hurkmans helped the varsity eight win both the Pac-12 title and the IRA National Championship. He helped the varsity eight to an undefeated regular season in 2017 and a bronze medal at the 2018 IRA National Championship Regatta as a junior.

In addition to his success competing for the Bears, Hurkmans has been a standout on the international stage, competing for the Netherlands' senior national team. Hurkmans competed in the eight at the 2018 World Rowing Championships where the Netherlands finished seventh, and also helped lead his country to a silver medal at the 2018 European Rowing Championships. Hurkmans' medal haul last summer also included bronze medals in the eight at the World Rowing Cup II in Austrian and the World Rowing Cup III in Switzerland. He has also several medals, including gold, at the Under-23 and Junior World Rowing Championships.

Hurkmans and the Golden Bears will be in action this Sunday at the Pac-12 Championships at Lake Natoma. Cal is seeking its second conference title in the last four years and the 17^th overall in program history.

For more updates and information throughout the year, follow the Bears on Twitter (@CalMRowing), Instagram (@CalMRowing), and Facebook (Facebook.com/CalMRowing).