Senior Spotlight Q&A w/ Hunter Roman from St. Anthony's High School
This week, Back Of The CAGE caught up with the #18 ranked senior on Long Island and the Preseason All Back of the Cage selection from St. Anthony's High School, Hunter Roman for our weekly Senior Spotlight series interviewing a new senior each week.
Hunter Roman is regarded as one of the top players in the country, however, a lot of her contributions on the field do not get always grab headlines. Hunter possesses the intangibles that every coach wants from their players - leadership, dedication, heart, and teamwork. It is her work ethic on and off the field that helped her to lead the Friars' in draw controls and ground balls on top of contributing on twenty four goals that ultimately led to winning the NYCHSAA Championship and why she was recognized by her peers as the Most Valuable Player last year. The humble senior was also named midfielder of the year in 2018 and is now a four-time varsity starter - an achievement that seldom happens at St. Anthony's. In the Fall, Hunter will be attending Boston College where she earned herself a scholarship to one of the top lacrosse programs in the country and one of the most prestigious colleges. Roman's hard work has paid off and she is looking forward to one more year, her last and best year to come.
Read below to get a closer look at the do-it-all midfielder:Q&A w/ Hunter Roman
Back Of The CAGE (BOTC): Last season, you played such a significant role in helping your Friars' to a 17-1 overall record and win the 2019 NYCHSAA Championship that you earned team MVP honors for. How does it feel to be voted MVP by your teammates which was/is comprised of some of the top players on the island/country?Hunter Roman (HR): It was a complete surprise that I would be receiving MVP and finding out at our school’s spring sport award’s night was truly a special moment for me. I was so grateful and honored because this particular season I felt that I had given everything I had on the field every single game. My contributions to my team had not always been reflected on the score board, so it was nice that my hard work on the field was recognized. Our team last year was comprised of such amazing and talented people and teammates and I was so humbled that I had been voted for it by my teammates.
BOTC: Your team's mantra was 'Redemption Tour' last season after losing in the 2018 championship and you all were successful in achieving your redemption as prefaced above. If there is a season this year, what will the slogan be? HR: Our senior slogan would probably be,
“Last year, best year,” because our whole senior class has been on varsity together since sophomore year for the most part and for Katie DeSo and I, we’ve been on the team since freshman year. Last year, we ended our season with an overall standing of 17-1. This year we had planned to work hard and be undefeated.
BOTC: I saw that you were training with current teammate Katie DeSimone and future teammate Isabelle Smith along with Jenny Markey & Madison Waters - an all-star training group all committed to play lacrosse at the Division 1 level. With the current state of the country due to covid-19 outbreak, how are you preparing yourself physically and mentally for when you hopefully get to play? HR: I have been doing wall ball, going on runs, and shooting on cage whenever I get a chance. I have been mentally preparing by staying in close touch with our team and maintaining our very close relationship virtually.
BOTC: So far, what is your most memorable moment of the past 4 years?HR: My most memorable moment of my past 4 years would be the championship game last year. Our team had worked so hard to finally get our title back after coming off of a 10 year win streak. Our celebrations and big hugs after the game are moments that I will always remember and keep close to my heart
BOTC: What is your favorite quote or saying from Coach Koepplin? HR: Coach Koepplin’s saying to our team is “be good people,” and this has stuck with me. Not only does our coach harp on being a good teammate, but she also constantly reminds us to be “good people” and always be kind to others.
BOTC: You chose to attend Boston College when you were a freshman before the new recruiting rules were implemented and have never wavered from that decision. Why Boston College and what other colleges were you considering? HR: Boston College has always been a dream school for me and from my experiences at camps and conversation with Coach Walker, I felt so at home and knew this was the school for me. The amazing academics BC has to offer, their program being a top lacrosse school, and the great camaraderie amongst the team made my decision that much easier. I was considering University of North Carolina, University of Maryland, University of Virginia, and University of Florida.
BOTC: Are you superstitious and do you have any pregame rituals?HR: I’m not very superstitious, however before games I always go see our school’s trainer Ed Modica and get stretched out by him. He is one of the funniest people I have ever met and it’s so fun to have all of our girls in there and hanging out before big games.
BOTC: What is one thing no one on the team knows about you?HR: I have an obsession with shark movies and no matter how tacky it is, I’ll still watch the full movie.
BOTC: What’s on your playlist before games?HR: Hall of Fame, Formation, American Boy, Promiscuous, It’s Tricky, Partition, Dirty Little Secret
Rapid Fire Q & A's:
- Favorite Food? Steak
- Favorite Movie? Forest Gump
- Favorite Sports Team? New York Jets
- Favorite Athlete? Dempsey Arsenault
See some of Hunter's career athletic accomplishments below: #18 Ranked Senior on LI (BOTC), Top 50 Player in the Country (IL), Preseason HM All-BOTC (2020), CHSAA League Champion (2019), Team MVP (2019), Led Team in Draw Controls (2019), Led Team in Ground Balls (2019), SA's Midfielder of the Year (2018), 4x Varsity Starter
