Sports
Hamilton athletics committed to continued growth and competitiveness
By Levi Lorenzo ’19
December 1, 2016
Tags sports
Regardless of how one looks at it, Hamilton sports are on the rise. The fall 2016 season merely confirms this trend. Men’s soccer made its first appearance in the NESCAC final. Field Hockey attained its highest-ever #11 national ranking finishing second in the NESCAC regular season and reaching the semi-finals. Don’t look now, but Hamilton football has won five of its last 11 games, a drastic improvement after losing 25 straight games. Athletic Director Jon Hind affirms that, “Our teams have been doing better competitively the past few years.” The success appears to be more than coincidental. Hind believes the success is the result of “commitment and dedication put forth by our coaches and student-athletes.” Hind also cites larger factors throughout the athletic department, such as a heightened focus on leadership and fellowship along with efforts to create “a more inclusive and integrated environment among our 29 teams.”
While Hamilton prides itself on its academic excellence, the school has made attempts to attain athletic success without sacrificing academics. Hind notes that a goal of the athletic department is to fully integrate student-athletes into the Hamilton student population, instead of having athletes exist as a separate subset. Within the desire to have student-athletes be representative of the student body as a whole are emphases on academic excellence and community involvement, which are areas the athletic department monitors amongst student-athletes.
Hamilton athletic teams compete in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) and thus teams are compared to other teams within the NESCAC, and the college is compared with the other members of the conference. Hind attests, however, that Hamilton prides itself on its uniqueness and autonomy, and the athletic department does not concern itself with what other schools are doing, but rather on how to best improve itself.
Hind believes that Hamilton’s continued athletic success is very plausible, but is “dependant upon our coaches and student-athletes staying commit[t]ed to both individual development and positive team dynamics.”
The belief that these commitments are vital to the success of Hamilton athletics was led to attempts to develop a certain culture within the athletic department which promotes these ends.The focus in athletics is very clearly on enabling student-athletes to grow by creating a positive environment to achieve this goal. Hind specifically notes that the environment the athletic department strives for is “healthy, competitive... where student-athletes are challenged to develop their individual skills and then find productive ways to integrate those skills into the fabric of what is best for the entire team.” Overall this shows that an attempt to create a culture within the Hamilton athletic department in which the vitality of the team is definitely more important than individual desires. Individuals develop their own abilities and then, ideally, use them to best serve their team. Hind stresses that it is important for student-athletes to develop an “appreciation of selflessness in group dynamics.” This selflessness has enabled, and will continue to enable, teams to succeed on the field as well as enable student-athletes to help the Hamilton community grow.
Coaches, student-athletes and administrators are committed to producing athletic success. There have certainly been improved results within the past few years, and the continued commitment will hopefully lead to more success in the future. Additionally, Hamilton and its athletic department attempt to develop student-athletes who are successful in the classroom and involved in the community, as well as experts in the field. By enabling individuals to succeed in these realms, they will be able to apply their development for the success of their programs. The future for Hamilton athletics is bright, and the athletic department is working hard to ensure Hamilton athletics reach its full potential. Support from the community can go a long way as well, so I encourage you to support our student-athletes and, in turn, take pride in our athletic success.