The Envoy

The Hunter Hawks’ historic run in the fall season led them to their largest lead in the Commissioner’s Cup since they last won in 2020.

Over the past few seasons, the Hawks gained a reputation for leading early in Commissioner’s Cup standings, the award given to the most successful CUNY athletics program. Before falling behind their rivals, the Baruch Bearcats, in the winter and spring each year.

In the latter half of 2024, the Hawks created a historic lead of 60 points compared to Baruch’s 25. Their effort was spearheaded by a ten-year championship run for cross country, a first championship in 14 years for soccer, and an underdog victory for Tennis.

(Photo courtesy of Hunter College Athletics Department.)

Men’s Soccer

The season saw a revitalized Hunter start strongly. Recruits Benjamin Avakook, Christian Rodriguez, Leonardo Kaplan, and Samuel Benson all gained starting roles, helping Hunter finish out of conference play with the best record in CUNYAC. 

The Hawks looked to redeem themselves from last season. In 2023, the Hawks’ undefeated regular season was cut short due to an injury to star goalkeeper Matthew Heimowitz, whose absence saw the Hawks lose in a shock playoff defeat to Baruch.

However, more injuries to key players such as Avakook, Rodriguez, and senior defender Kenneth Ortiz, as well as the absence of Kaplan and missed games from captain Bradley Espejo saw the Hawks fighting for a playoff spot this season. In a fixture that ended 5-0 in Hunter’s favor just one season prior, the Hawks battled to a 2-1 win against playoff hopefuls Medgar Evers to secure the last seed. 

Hunter rematched against Baruch this year. The third-seeded school, which had knocked out the Hawks the year before, had also beaten Hunter this regular season. However, with the odds stacked against them, Hunter won on penalties after a back-and-forth 0-0 draw. 

Goalkeeper Heimowitz stole the show, saving every Baruch penalty in the shootout. Avakook, senior defender Conor Sullivan, and Espejo all scored to put Hunter through to the next round, with Kaplan also having a standout performance. 

Their next game against City College followed a similar script. City had beaten Hunter in the 2024 regular season and were the major favorites as the second seed. The Hawks showed immense heart throughout the match, and after taking the lead through forward Saleel Eldin, City was awarded a penalty and scored to even the tie.

An off-the-ball foul once again left Heimowitz injured for the second season in a row, but the Hawks’ resilience shone through this year, and Eldin scored his second in extra time to win the game for Hunter.

Coming into the final against first-seeded Lehman College, no Hunter team coached by Daniel Cinelli had ever even scored against Lehman, let alone beat them. The Hawks’ momentum seemed too much, though, as Abdullah Al-Mahragbi, Espejo, and Avakook all scored to propel Hunter to a 3-0 victory and a championship title. 

With their win, this Hawk squad became the first Hunter soccer team to win CUNYAC in 14 years and the first-ever sixth seed to win the championship.

This unprecedented run concluded with a finals MVP award for Espejo, and all-star awards for Espejo and Avakook.

Women’s Tennis

(Photo courtesy of Hunter College Athletics Department.)

Another comeback victory occurred for the Hawks this year. During the season, Baruch’s women’s tennis team took the regular season title after an exciting 5-4 win over Hunter. Due to this result, Baruch were the slim favorite for the final. However, after the previous meeting between the schools being so close, the result of this second match was up in the air.

The doubles play saw Baruch lead early, winning the no. 1 doubles match. But the Hawks won a tightly contested second match and dominantly won the no. 3 match to go up 2-1.

In the singles, Baruch started well, winning the no.1, no. 2, and no. 3 singles, whereas Hunter won the no. 5 and no. 6.

With the overall score now 4-4, Hunter’s star for the season Julia Aksamentova stepped up against Baruch’s Maria Calvo. A loss would mean Hunter’s elimination from the championship. However, Aksamentova won the most dramatic match of the day. 

The no.4 singles match between Aksamentova and Calvo finished in two set victories of 7-6 for the Hawks. This showed the quality of both women and highlighted just how thin the margins were for these two sides.

Due to her match-winning contributions, Aksamentova won the playoff MVP award, with herself, Sara Contreras, Anna Chapko, and Sara Novo all earning all-star honors.

Men’s and Women’s Cross Country

Coming into the cross-country championships, the Hawks were the overwhelming favorites across both teams: the women were looking for their tenth consecutive championship, and the men were looking for their fourth consecutive title under Coach Marvin Hawkins. 

The women’s race began first on the cold morning of Oct. 24. at Van Cortlandt Park. The runners ran from the gun across the meadow and behind the line of trees, and from that point on it was a waiting game as spectators eagerly awaited the first finishers.

Emerging first from the bush was Baruch’s Paz Moran, becoming the women’s champion with a 6k time of 26:04. However following her was a wave of purple, as Hunter’s captain Wendy Montiel came second, along with freshman Shannon Ferri coming in fourth, Touka Medjoubi in fifth and Samantha Suriel in sixth. 

These finishes placed Hunter at a score of 28 and secured them the championship. This tally is put into perspective by the next best school, John Jay. They have almost triple Hunter’s score, which further emphasizes the level of dominance a program must achieve to win ten championships in a row.

For the men, their 8k race consisted of two laps around Van Cortlandt. Spectators got to see the athletes come through the halfway point and get a feel for the potential winners. At the 4k mark, Hawk Mateo Penafiel flew through before most of his competition and finished in first place overall with a time of 28:06. Other notable Hunter finishers were Brian Guillermo in third at 29:28 and freshman Melvil Badier in fifth at 29:57. 

Although not as dominant as the women, Hunter’s top three performers carried them to a convincing victory, securing Coach Hawkin’s fourth men’s cross-country title in a row.

All-star performers for the Hawks included Montiel, Ferri, Medjoubi, Mikaelle Cesar, Suriel, and Emma Kilroy for the women. There was Penafiel, Guillermo, Badier, and Alexander Niyazov for the men. Cesar and Badier both won Rookie of the Year, and Penafiel won the men’s championship MVP award.

Women’s Volleyball

(Photo courtesy of Hunter College Athletics Department.)

The Hunter women’s volleyball team came into their championship as the front runners after winning the 2024 regular season and having won eight of the past nine CUNYAC championships. 

Their final opponents of the season were John Jay. Although the Bloodhounds lost a tough 3-2 match two months earlier, the women’s volleyball team had not lost to John Jay in their entire history, spanning 38 years, and John Jay had never won a CUNYAC championship.

During the match on Nov 15, the normally dominant Hawks were out of their depth from the start. John Jay won the first set by eight points, followed by a massive 14-point victory in the second set. These first two losses seemed to wake the Hawks up, and with their backs against the wall, Hunter managed to secure a tightly contested set victory on the back of star hitter Izabella Williams. 

Unfortunately, the earlier set losses proved too much to overcome, as the Hawks lost a fourth set, earning them second in the playoffs.

Despite the loss, Hunter players Williams, Lily Mattison, Bethany Toameng, Simone McIntyre, and Amina Moummad all received all-star recognition.

LOOKING AHEAD

Following this historic run for Hunter, the Hawks are off to a flying start in the winter season as men’s and women’s basketball, indoor track and field, and women’s swimming all commence. Men’s wrestling and men’s and women’s fencing continue into the new season.

A change in coaching staff may affect the swimming team, who are looking to win consecutive championships coming into the new year. The wrestling team looks to replicate its regional success, while both basketball teams can improve on semi-final exits in 2024. Coach Hawkins of the indoor track team is chasing his fifth indoor championship at Hunter College after Medgar Evers secured their first victory in over twenty years the year before.