A Discrete Introduction to Legends, Customs, Facts, Images, Figures of the Hunter Hawks

Photos by Shannon McGee

If you take the escalator in the East Building down to the Hunter Sportsplex, you can’t help but notice the mechanical chatter of the moving staircase and the sounds of weights from the Fitness Center. And once down there you can see a visual history of the Hunter Hawks displayed through the trophy and award cases – along with the photo visages of Hunter alumni stars along line of the Athletic Hall of Fame wall.

Picture by Shannon McGee

Hunter, founded in 1870, first broke into the world of sports with the women’s basketball team in 1901. Since then Hunter has won 138 CUNY Athletic Conference Championships.

Picture by Shannon McGhee

Madeline Dalton (top left corner of the Hunter Athletic Hall of Fame) was a member of the Class of 1936 and she led the women’s fencing team to several national titles. She was also a National Intercollegiate Championship in 1935, a member of the Hunter Olympic Fencing Squad and a National Champion in 1944. Dalton also went on to compete in the 1948 World Championships for the USA. She was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame in 1987.

In addition to its 138 CUNYAC Championships, Hunter has seven Olympians, 15 individual national champions, 12 team national championships, over 50 All-Americans, over 500 CUNYAC All-Stars and over 1,000 student athletes who have been recognized for academic achievements.

The men’s volleyball made their first CUNYAC appearance in 1987, since then they have won 17 CUNYAC Championships. While the women’s team made their first appearance in 1985 and have won 27 CUNYAC Championships with the latest championship in 2022. The women’s volleyball team has the most Championships amongst all the other sports.

Hunter currently has 18 varsity teams that compete at the NCAA Division 3 level as a member of the City University of New York Athletic Conference.

Hunter’s Fitness Center is located on the B2 Level in the West Building of the Hunter campus at 68th Street Campus. It is open to students, athletes, faculty and staff.