CALGARY – University of Calgary Dinos men's basketball alumnus Max Eisele has been selected as one of the Top 8 Academic All-Canadians for the 2020-21 season, announced by U SPORTS on Monday.

Eisele is joined by Jane Hergett of StFX, Joe Gatenby of UNB, Samantha Gouveia of MacEwan, Brigitte Lefebvre-Okankwu of Ottawa, Erik Siksna of Queen's, Marie-Pier Champagne of Laval and Félix Goulet of Montréal, who were nominated for their excellence both on and off the field of play.

The Faculty of Kinesiology graduate is the eighth student-athlete in Dinos history to be honoured as a Top 8 Academic All-Canadian, joining women's volleyball's Kate Pexman (2017-18), football's Andrew Buckley (2014-15), women's hockey star Hayley Wickenheiser (2010-11 and 2011-12), soccer's Kelly Matheson (1999-2000), and Olympic swimming medallist Curtis Myden (1993-94, 1998-99).

"The number of Academic All-Canadians continues to grow each year," said Dick White, Interim CEO of U SPORTS. "The growing list of Academic All-Canadians is a testament to the virtues of U SPORTS, our conferences and member institutions as well as the dedication of our student-athletes in classrooms and communities across the nation."

All-Time Top 8 Academic All-Canadians

A native of Ulm, Germany, Eisele has made a difference both on and off the court while at the University of Calgary.

He helped lead the Dinos men's basketball team to a U SPORTS National Championship in the 2017-18 season as well as two Canada West Conference Championships. Individually, Eisele was named the 2019-20 Canada West Defensive Player of the Year.

Since 2018, Eisele has been involved with the University of Calgary Health and Wellness Lab under the supervision of Dr. Nicole Culos-Reed. Eisele first volunteered for the Alberta Cancer Exercise (ACE) study, an exercise program for cancer survivors. After continued involvement with ACE as a research assistant and instructor, Eisele eventually wrote his Master of Science (MSc) thesis in 2021 on the online delivery of exercise programming for cancer survivors.

Additionally, in 2019, Eisele became involved with the Get Your Movement (GYM) program, a volunteer-based after-hours rehabilitation program for patients with spinal cord, stroke, and traumatic brain injuries, as well as other neurodegenerative diseases at Foothills Hospital. As the coordinator of the program, Eisele instigated the program's restart during the COVID-19 pandemic and remains in continuous collaboration with the health care team of physiotherapists, occupational therapists, nurses, and physiatrists to improve the outcomes for patients.

Eisele has also volunteered with the Catholic Family Service's CREW mentorship program for the past five years and Special Olympics Calgary.

In the classroom, his excellence continued being named a U SPORTS Academic All-Canadian five years in a row. In 2020-21, Eisele held a perfect 4.0 GPA and was admitted to the University of Calgary School of Medicine.

"Max is a leader, and he demonstrates his leadership skills through a true sense of service and principles," said Calgary Dinos men's basketball Head Coach, Dan Vanhooren. "He is highly academic and driven in the pursuit of his goals, and he demonstrates a compassionate, caring side in our community. He's a two-time conference champion, a national champion, and most importantly a great young man."

The Governor General's Academic All-Canadian Commendation was founded by the Right Honourable David Johnston, former Governor General of Canada, who first honoured Canada's Top 8 student-athletes in 2013.

U SPORTS student-athletes achieve Academic All-Canadian status having maintained an average of 80 percent or better over the academic year while competing for one – or more – of their university's varsity teams. Eisele was among 259 Dinos student-athletes to achieve Academic All-Canadian status in 2020-21, including 248 from U SPORTS sanctioned sports, establishing a new UCalgary record.