A slow week for the Hawks gave the athletic staff a chance to shine, as well as a great start to conference play for volleyball.
The men’s volleyball team started their CUNYAC season in good fashion. And on WHCS radio, David Horn gave listeners an in-depth look at Hunter’s head athletic trainer, Amy O’Connor.
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
The men’s volleyball team played in an intense match on Feb. 24 against the 25th nationally ranked St. Joseph’s University Long Island before going into CUNYAC play.
Hunter dropped the first two sets to a red-hot St. Joseph’s team, with scores of 25-15 and 25-16 leaving the Hawks on the verge of defeat.
But the Hawks fought back, with a 25-18 third set win putting them back in contention. However, a close loss in the fourth set by three points put St. Joseph’s over the edge.
Hunter could still hold their heads high after the game, with outside hitters Muhammad Al-Amine Mbaye and Kyle Foley leading the Hawks in kills with 12 each. Matisse Lee-Marek and Foley lead the teams in percentage.
The following game against City College on Feb. 27 was an important one as the Hawks looked to establish themselves in the conference. In all 27 of their previous meetings, City College had never beaten Hunter, but their record of three wins and five losses was similar to Hunter’s record of two wins and six losses; although Hunter played higher ranked teams.
The first set was a tense one but Hunter came out on top 25-19. The second set looked close on paper: it ended 25-22 to Hunter, though the Hawks had the lead the entire set and never really looked like letting it go.
The third set saw a demolition of City College, with the final score of 25-7 being the most Hunter won a set by all year.
Middle blocker and setter Annes Deljanin had a perfect game, hitting seven for seven and with a 1.000 hitting percentage.
GUEST OF THE WEEK: AMY O’CONNOR
On the Mar. 1 edition of Hawk Athletics, Horn was joined by head athletic trainer O’Connor to discuss her time at Hunter so far.
O’Connor joined the Hawks in January 2023, after spending six years as the head athletic trainer at fellow CUNY school York College, and a previous stint at Queens College. To O’Connor though, one thing immediately set Hunter apart.
“Hunter has a sports pedigree that I wanted to come and see,” O’Connor said. It “was a standout choice.”
O’Connor says this system is embodied by the athletes, who she referred to as more “responsible and proactive” than what she’s used to.
“They’re not getting a scholarship, they haven’t necessarily been recruited,” O’Connor said. “They’re walk-ons, they’re doing it for the love of athletics. So for them, this is something they’re super passionate about.”
This passion, she says, leads them wanting to give everything for their school. O’Connor is the one who has to judge if that is always the right call.
“To tell them, ‘you might have to sit this one out,’ is tough and I’ve had to make some of those decisions. Especially in the fall,” she said.
During that fall season, O’Connor pulled Matthew Heimowitz, the soccer team’s goalkeeper and a CUNYAC first-team all-star from their playoffs despite his insistence to play.
“With concussions, there’s a protocol and we’re very strict on that,” O’Connor said. “There’s no ifs, ands, or buts, no one goes around those.”
Although some students may protest these decisions, O’Conner says student athletes need someone trustworthy and consistent “who follows the right protocols, the rules, because things can fall through the gaps.”
O’Connor has learned the importance of safety through her own experience. She originally came to the U.S. with the goal of being a soccer coach when she was 21 years old.
“I grew up just outside of London,” O’Connor said. “London’s a fantastic place, I think there’s just a warm feeling to England and specifically where I’m from.”
After high school, O’Connor went to a sports college, where not only was she able to continue learning about her passion for soccer, but also attained her UEFA(Union of European Football Associations) B-license.
“I was like, ‘yeah, of course, I’m not going to turn that down,” O’Connor said of her time at sports college. “I wish I could do that everyday now.”
O’Connor then came to the United States and entered into Montclair State’s athletic training program and played for their women’s soccer team, describing the program as “fantastic.”
After graduating, O’Connor got the opportunity to work for Major League Soccer (MLS) team The New York Red Bulls before working in college athletics.
“I really enjoyed it,” O’Connor said. “But it was poorly paying because MLS was not as big as it is today. If I was going to leave college athletics, it would be for a professional environment in women’s soccer ideally.”
Despite not being directly involved in pro soccer now, O’Connor does everything she can to keep it at the forefront of her life.
She guest hosts a women’s soccer podcast on Wednesday’s called the WOSO show, where they discuss many international women’s soccer leagues.
She watches matches from scores of different leagues around the world each week to stay up-to-date on everything happening within the space.
“You can’t just watch a highlight and then think that you know everything,” O’Connor said. “You can’t give critical analysis if you don’t watch it from start to finish.”
She even plays in her own recreational team on the weekends, although her team is not a typical Sunday league squad.
“We have a really good team, lots of people who’ve played Division 1, semi-pro, and pro,” O’Connor said.
But ultimately for O’Connor, her involvement in soccer is second in importance only to her work.
“You can’t have athletics without athletic training,” she said.
LOOKING AHEAD
Next week will feature a crowded schedule as men’s volleyball takes on four CUNYAC opponents in Brooklyn College, John Jay College, York College, and Lehman College. And see how Horn will continue to provide insight into the athletic community at Hunter with his guests of the week.
“Hawk Athletics” is a sports show hosted by David Horn airing every Friday at 12 p.m on the Where Hunter College Speaks (WHCS) radio station. The Envoy’s Conor Sullivan breaks down Horn’s weekly show and recaps the latest on all things Hunter athletics.
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