Meet the Hartwick Hawks- Senior JAMES MANTAS

My name is James Mantas and I am a senior here at Hartwick College. I am a Biology major and an aspiring medical student. I love Hartwick’s small class size and the familiarity that one develops with the professors here.

I am from Niskayuna New York which is right outside of Albany. I have a younger brother who also plays basketball but for Skidmore College. I am a very family oriented person and I am very outgoing and friendly.

I am going to miss this school and my friends very much, the memories and relationships I have accumulated throughout my four years here will stay with me for the rest of my life. I am looking forward to our season and I believe we have it in us to have a very successful season and even surprise a number of people this year. We have a great group of guys and when push comes to shove I know they are all with me. Overall I am glad to have been a part of Hartwick and I’m enjoying every moment of my time left here.

Meet the Hartwick Hawks- Sophomore TEDDY BRIDGMAN

My name is Teddy Bridgman and I am sophomore from Wayland MA. I am a business major and hope to obtain my masters in Communication after I graduate from Hartwick. Before Hartwick, I attended Tilton Prep School in Tilton, NH. I have a younger brother Taylor who is a senior in high school, my mother is an office manager for JSB-partners and my father is a medical sales man for Bio-tissue.

I have always loved sports and becoming a sports commentator has been a long time dream of mine. I have always loved the game of basketball and love playing in college. Coaching is another career path that I may look into pursing when I am done playing at Hartwick. My favorite sports teams are the New York Giants, Boston Red Sox and Boston Celtics - I could talk sports all day.

I love it here at Hartwick College, because it is a small liberal arts college. I love the one on one time we spend with our professors and the small class sizes. When I leave Hartwick, I know I will be a better and more rounded individual.

Meet the Hartwick Hawks- Senior KYLE PHILLIPS

My name is Kyle Phillips. I am a senior majoring in mathematics from Ashland, Massachusetts. I have two brothers. My older brother works for a printing company in Boston. Mt twin brother is a senior at Bowdoin College. My father is an engineer at Eaton and my mother is a retired elementary school teacher.

Born and bread in Massachusetts has made me a die hard Patriots, Celtics, and Red Sox fan. Over three years spent in New York I have warmed up to cheering for the Giants and Mets, but still have a very passionate hatred for the Yankees, Jets, and Knicks. I absolutely love college basketball and can’t wait for March Madness 2010.

The major reason why I came to Hartwick College is the people. Everyone has great character and integrity. I have built many lasting relationships from players, coaches, professors, and the student body. Hartwick is a very concise community where you can go to anybody for advice. I will always treasure my years at Hartwick as some of the best ever in my life.

I hope that our team focuses at the task at hand for another productive season which will further contribute to the overall success of Hartwick. I look forward to the coming months of practice, games, homework, tests, and finally graduation.

Meet the Hartwick Hawks- Sophomore Shane McHugh

Hello! My name is Shane McHugh and I am a sophomore at Hartwick College. I am originally from a small town on the border of Massachusetts in New York called New Lebanon. I live with both of my parents, Shaun and Donna and my little brother, Kyle.

I choose Hartwick for a variety of reasons; namely, the class sizes, distance to campus from where I live and of course, Basketball. I am very excited to get my sophomore season underway. As a freshman, our team won the ECAC tournament and I am looking forward to an even more successful season this year.

As for my studies at Hartwick, I am a political science major, with a Pre-Law interest. I also am thinking about obtaining a minor in Computer and Information science. I plan to graduate Hartwick in 2012, upon which I plan on attending Law school. My father is a state magistrate so I have grown up with an interest in the law.

In my free time I like to play sports, video games and hang out with friends. I also play Bass Guitar for the alternative rock band Adam’s Crossing (we hope to release our first studio album sometime next summer!)

This season should be very exciting as we have a new look team; with the addition of a new freshman class and a new coaching staff it should be interesting. See you all on the court.

Meet the Hartwick Hawks- Freshman AARON LAING

My name is Aaron Laing and I am a freshman here at Hartwick College. I am very excited to begin my four years here and hope it will be an enjoyable experience. My schedule includes classes such as Introduction to Business, Business Computing, and English Composition. So far I have found all my professors incredibly friendly and look forward to getting to know them better throughout the year. As far as basketball, it goes without saying that I am extremely eager to see what the season brings. We have a great group of guys and it will be a lot of fun I’m sure

I grew up in Laurens New York which is just a few miles away from the Hartwick campus. I was a three sport athlete in high school but basketball has always been a passion of mine. I am ecstatic that I’m able to continue playing throughout college. My family has always been very supportive of me throughout the years, they are great.

I can’t what to see what happens on and off the court in the next few years that I spend at Hartwick. It should be quite an adventure.

Meet the Hartwick Hawks- Freshman Sam Young

My name is Sam Young, and I am from Warner, NH. Currently, I am a freshman at Hartwick College in Oneonta, NY. Warner is roughly four and a half hours from Oneonta, but the geographic layout is about the same so it has not been too much of a change location wise for me.

In my next four years here at Hartwick, I intend to accomplish a lot. First I hope to find a subject that I love, considering I will be spending my next 40 years doing whatever it is I do. Second I hope to have an enjoyable basketball career. Finally, I hope to meet people I have never met and do things I never would have thought to do in the previous chapters of my life.

Over the summer I worked for my friend’s father haying and I worked for Mas-Con Masonry Company. In my spare time I like to play basketball, ride motorcycles, hike, hang out with friends, swim, and fish with my father.

Meet the Hartwick Hawks- Sophomore CHRIS RYDER

Hey my name is Chris Ryder, I’m a sophomore at Hartwick college. I’m from Port Washington, Long Island and play Basketball here at Hartwick. I am also on the club volleyball team when I’m not playing basketball. I have an older brother who graduated from Salisbury University in Maryland. He is currently living in Boulder, Colorado, managing a restaurant and playing professional indoor box lacrosse. He also is coaching the men’s lacrosse team at Boulder High School along with doing personal training lessons in lacrosse. My Father is the Chief Helicopter Pilot and Manager for the company Ventura Air Services. My mother is a 3rd grade teacher at Glenwood Landing elementary school in the North Shore school district.

My favorite sports teams are The Giants, The Mets, The Islanders, and I have no favorite NBA team but I want The Knicks to do well. My favorite player of all time is Hakeem Olajuwon and my favorite active player I would say is either Chris Bosh or Danny Granger.

I like Hartwick because of the relationships I’ve built with the people here. Being that it’s a small school I get the extra attention in the classroom that I need to succeed in the classroom. The campus is really nice and has a great view of the City of Oneonta. My decision was influenced because I wanted to play basketball in college and I’ve found the perfect fit for me as a student-athlete. This program has a great history and great support from the Alumni. The ultimate goal for our team here is to bring the program back to where it once was. I believe I am part of something here with the group that we have and believe we have the right kind of people to turn this program around.

I am currently undecided as a major but will declare a business major at the end of this year. I have no clue what I want to do in the future but I’m enjoying my time at Hartwick. I am excited for this season because I believe we have a lot to prove to our league and I have a lot to prove individually this year. It’s going to be a great year.