Hartford Hawks

Hartford Hawks
University	University of Hartford
Conference	America East Conference Big Sky Conference (men's golf) Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (women's golf) Missouri Valley Conference (men's tennis)
NCAA	Division I
Athletic director	Anton Goff
Location	West Hartford, Connecticut
Varsity teams	18
Basketball arena	Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion
Baseball stadium	Fiondella Field
Soccer stadium	Al-Marzook Field at Alumni Stadium
Lacrosse stadium	Al-Marzook Field at Alumni Stadium
Mascot	Howie the Hawk
Nickname	Hawks
Fight song	"Fly High"
Colors	Scarlet and White[1]
Website	www.hartfordhawks.com

The Hartford Hawks are the athletic teams of the University of Hartford, located in West Hartford, Connecticut. The school sponsors 18 NCAA Division I varsity sports (nine men/nine women). All but three sports are members of the America East Conference. The men's golf team is a member of the Big Sky Conference,^[2] the women's golf team is in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, and the men's tennis team is in the Missouri Valley Conference.

Teams

A member of the America East Conference, Hartford sponsors teams in nine men's and nine women's NCAA sanctioned sports:^[3]

Men's Intercollegiate Sports Baseball (team article) Basketball (team article) Cross Country Golf * Lacrosse Soccer Tennis ^# Track & Field (Indoor & Outdoor)

Women's Intercollegiate Sports Basketball (team article) Cross Country Golf ^↓ Soccer Softball Tennis Track & Field (Indoor & Outdoor) Volleyball

• * = Men's golf competes as an affiliate member of the Big Sky Conference.
• ^# = Men's tennis competes as an affiliate member of the Missouri Valley Conference.
• ^↓ = Women's golf competes as an associate member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

Facilities

Sport	Facility[4]	Capacity
Baseball	Fiondella Field	1,000
Basketball	Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion	4,017
Cross Country	No home course	N/A
Golf	Men–Gillette Ridge Golf Club Women–Wampanoag Country Club	N/A
Lacrosse	Al-Marzook Field at Alumni Stadium	2,500
Soccer	Al-Marzook Field at Alumni Stadium	2,500
Softball	Hartford Softball Field	1,000
Tennis	Hartford Tennis Courts	250
Track & Field (Indoor)	No home stadium	N/A
Track & Field (Outdoor)	No home field house	N/A
Volleyball	Hartford Volleyball Arena	500

Men's golf

America East Conference Champions: 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007

Women's golf

America East Conference Champions: 2005

Men's lacrosse

America East Conference Champions: 2011, 2016^[5]

Men's soccer

America East Conference Champions: 1999

Women's soccer

America East Conference Champions: 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2006, 2014 (regular season champions)

Men's tennis

America East Conference Champions: 1989, 1990, 1994–1995, 2001–2002

Volleyball

America East Conference Champions: 1993

Academics

From Hartford's athletic website: "Hartford, which has posted a combined GPA of 3.0 or higher in each of the last 15 semesters, saw an average of 70 percent of its student-athletes record a 3.0 in one or both semesters last year. In addition, 43 percent of Hawk student-athletes notched at least a 3.5 while five percent registered perfect 4.0 GPA's for the 2012–13 academic year."^[6] "The University of Hartford clinched its second-straight America East Academic Cup in 2012–13 after posting the highest grade-point average of any school in the 18-year history of the award. Compiling a 3.24 GPA in 2012–13, the Hawks won their third Academic Cup all-time."^[6]

Mascot and nickname

From Hartford's athletic website: "Howie is well known among the University of Hartford community and fans, and has been known for his on court antics during basketball games. The current version of Howie the Hawk began its tenure during the winter of 2008–09."^[7] "The nickname originated in the late 1940's when the school competed as Hillyer College. It is believed that the nickname stemmed from spectators having to climb four flights of stairs in the old Chauncey Harris School on Hudson Street in Hartford to the "Hawk's Nest" to watch basketball and wrestling events."^[7]

Notable Hawks

• Jeff Bagwell — Former Hartford third baseman (1987–89). 2x All-American (1988, 1989), 2x Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Player of the Year (1988, 1989). Hartford's all-time leader in batting average and slugging percentage. Selected as the 110th overall pick in the 4th round of the 1989 MLB draft by the Boston Red Sox (1989–90). Traded to the Houston Astros (1990–2005) on August 30, 1990. NL MVP (1994), 4x MLB All-Star (1994, 1996, 1997, 1999), NL Rookie of the Year (1991), Gold Glove Award (1994), 3x Silver Slugger (1994, 1997, 1999). Former Houston Astros hitting coach (2010).
• Vin Baker — Former Hartford center (1989–93). North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Player of the Year (1992–93). Hartford's all-time leading scorer. Selected as the 8th overall pick in the 1st round of the 1993 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks (1993–97). Seattle SuperSonics (1997–02), Boston Celtics (2002–04), New York Knicks (2004–05), Houston Rockets (2005), Los Angeles Clippers (2006), Minnesota Timberwolves (2006). 4x NBA All-Star (1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98). All-NBA Second Team (1997–98). All-NBA Third Team (1996–97). NBA All-Rookie First Team (1993–94).
• Jerry Kelly
• Tracey Kelusky
• Tim Petrovic
• Patrick Sheehan
• Saralyn Smith
• Earl Snyder — Former Hartford first/third baseman (1995–98). Hartford's all-time leader in hits, runs, home runs, runs batted in (RBIs), and total bases.
• Sean Newcomb — Former Hartford starting pitcher (2012–14). Baseball America All-American Third Team (2014), ABCA All-American Second Team (2014), Perfect Game All-American Second Team (2014). ABCA All-Northeast Region First Team (2014). America East Pitcher of the Year (2014). Selected 15th overall in the 1st round of the 2014 Major League Baseball draft by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2014–present).

Equipment sponsors

Hartford's athletic teams wear gear made by sporting goods company Under Armour.^[8]

References

1. University of Hartford Brand Identity Guide (PDF). Retrieved 2016-04-09.
2. Burton, Roy (June 4, 2014). "WSU joins friends/foes as Big Sky brings back men's golf". Standard-Examiner. Ogden, Utah. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
3. "Hartfor Hawks". University of Hartford Athletics. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
4. University of Hartford Athletic Facilities at hartfordhawks.com, URL accessed October 4, 2009. Archived 10/04/09
5. Weiner, Bob. "Hartford Edges Vermont for America East Title". Lacrosse Magazine. Lacrosse Magazine.
6. "Hartford Hawks".
7. "Hartford Hawks".
8. "Hawks and Under Armour Ink Multi-Year Partnership". University of Hartford. Retrieved 2016-10-31.