This is an interesting spring for Men's Tennis senior standout Hubert Chodkiewicz.

While his teammates engage opponents from across the country and now are settling into Big 12 Conference play, Chodkiewicz engages organic and inorganic chemistry, biology, genetics, physics and calculus.

But, it's advantage Chodkiewicz, who owns a 4.0 grade point average and who is the Male Student-Athlete of the Month for April.

"I'm really honored," he said of the Male Student-Athlete of the Month designation. "Going to a school like Texas that cares about athletes being students, there are a lot of great student-athletes here, so I embrace this award."

Chodkiewicz is redshirting this year, so he is able to get into medical school before he plays his final year of eligibility. He does hit each day and is around his teammates, but while they are toiling with UVA and others on the schedule, Chodkiewicz is toiling in medical school preparatory classes and practice tests for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT).

"My parents always instilled in me that academics came first," said Chodkiewicz, whose mom and dad emigrated from Poland to the United States 30 years ago. Both are engineers.

Chodkiewicz had a spot on the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll in 2005 and 2006 and also was an Academic All-Big 12 First Team member in 2005. He is a three-time winner of the Athletics Director Award and last year was given the Lan Hewlett Award, which is bestowed upon the Texas men's tennis player with the highest GPA.

Coach Michael Center is impressed, praising Chodkiewicz for his play when UT drove to the Final Four.

"And doing it all while maintaining a 4.0 GPA," Center said.

Chodkiewicz admits that when he arrived at Texas from St. Stephen's High School, the transition was a challenging one.

"I think I got the worst grades of my life that first semester," he laughed. "It is a big, big jump from high school to college. It is a growing up process. That's where the academic people at Texas really help you. They have to be the best academic support team in the nation.

"They support you, but they make sure you learn ways to manage your time and the best ways to study. I have been able to manage academics and athletics, but it hasn't been easy."

Chodkiewicz is on pace to graduate in May with a bachelor's degree in economics, with a track in pre-med.

Chodkiewicz, who says his teammates do not call him "Doc" yet, is known around the team as "Snowplow Machine."

"Because I keep burrowing through," he said, laughing.

As far as his field of medicine, Chodkiewicz said he is leaning toward orthopedics or pediatrics.

"I looked at other schools, but Texas was the place to be," he said. "And, today, I can't imagine having gone anywhere else."