Athlete of the Week: Ryan Hunter

For many high school athletes, the dream of playing college sports is just that – a dream. The rough and tumble world of college athletics allows only a very exclusive group in. However, one of Syosset's own will soon be joining that group.

Lacrosse star Ryan Hunter has verbally committed to play at Ohio State University. This is an impressive feet by itself, but what's more remarkable about the commitment? Hunter is only a junior.  

The junior's first two seasons at Syosset were outstanding. In both his freshman and sophomore seasons, Hunter has led the team in goals. For his efforts, he received all-county honors last season. He was also named to the academic all-county list for his performance in the classroom.  

Before settling on Ohio State, Hunter had a tough decision to make. Notre Dame, Maryland, and Lehigh also competed for his commitment. But none of those schools made the impression that Ohio State did.

"I felt Ohio State was a school I would choose even if I didn't play lacrosse," Hunter said of his decision in an interview with laxlessons.com. "I loved the big time football school atmosphere and, though it's a huge school, it seemed really easy to get around."

Hunter has spent a large part of his childhood around Lacrosse. He got a jump start on the game when he began playing in the third grade. Since he decided to dedicate his teenage years to lacrosse, he's trained with players such as Jarred Leverne of Stony Brook University and Matt Danowski of the MLL (Major League Lacrosse).

Although he still has two more seasons to play with the Braves, the commitment has already got Hunter thinking about college. He is considering majoring in Physical Therapy.      

Off the lacrosse field, Hunter is a budding humanitarian. He is on the Student Board of Directors for the Mary Brennan Homeless Shelter in Hempstead.

Ryan was recently appointed the Executive Vice President of Volunteer Recruitment and Fundraising for the Syosset Braves chapter of the Ascent Youth Alliance to Battle Autism's (AYABA) "BravesGoals4Autism" and "BravesSaves4Autism" program. This program will be helping local children with affected by autism by raising funds and awareness.

The program will be asking sponsors to pledge 25 cents for every goal scored or save made by a Syosset Brave in the upcoming season. Half of the proceeds will go to the AYABA, while the other half will go towards the team's spring trip.   

Although College Lacrosse is clearly on the horizon for Ryan Hunter, he still has a lot of work to do as a Syosset Brave.

*For more information on "BravesGoals4Autism" and "BravesSaves4Autism", log on to ayabany.org*