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Building on the momentum from last summer’s inaugural tour, The City University of New York Athletic Conference embarked on a 10-day Goodwill Tour of Ecuador in June with an all-star women’s basketball team.

The second annual CUNYAC Goodwill Tour took place from June 28th to July 7th with 14 female student-athletes making the trip from 14 different CUNY-member campuses. The tour continued a new tradition, which was started last summer when an All-Star men’s basketball squad traveled to the Dominican Republic. They had an opportunity to showcase their talents in the court, conduct several clinics for young children, learned another language and found out quite a bit more about a culture other than their own.

The tour, directed by Zak Ivkovic, Executive Director of The CUNY Athletic Conference and Robert Coleman, CUNYAC President and Director of Athletics at the City College of New York, marked the first time the conferences women’s program played outside the United States. Along with competing, the student-athletes hosted several clinics for the youth of Quito. They served as ambassadors of CUNY, learning the differences on cultures and passing along our customs and basketball skills. Each student was required to keep a daily journal which was posted on the CUNY website for informational purposes for family and friends in New York. The tour’s overall objective is to showcase the student-athletes of the CUNY Conference to the world and to serve learning experiences that they will remember forever.

From a two-day tryout at Hunter in late March, 27 student-athletes from 14 CUNYAC member colleges were narrowed down to a team of 18 players that includes four alternates. The final squad, which was comprised of 14 players, included First Team CUNY All-Star Jessenia Marrero a sophomore forward from Baruch College, and her teammate Diane Ramirez a 5-5 sophomore who was named as a CUNY second team All-Star during the regular season. The entire squad was comprised of quality underclassmen in good academic standing, who look to be the cornerstones of their respective teams next season. The team played four games in Quito against local teams, while using the off-days to visit historical and educational sites in the region. Some of these sites included a volcano called Pulluhauha, the Waterfalls of Mindo, and Cento Historico.

The team conducted a clinic at the Colegio 24 de mayo (Junior College) which involved over 300 students. After the clinic, the team traveled to a town called Piluqui where the team distributed food, drinks, pencils, and t-shirts to children in need. Nearly 50 families came out to receive chicken and rice from the team.

The coaching staff consisted of Hunter College head coach Jackee Meadow, and Hostos head coach Rene Bostic. Bostic was named CUNYAC Coach of the Year for the community colleges, while Meadow led her Hawks to a third consecutive CUNYAC Championship and 3rd straight NCAA Tournament appearance in 2004.

Along with the coaches, Ivkovic and Coleman were responsible for selecting the team and raising the funds necessary for the tour. The remaining squad consisted of CCNY’s Athletic Trainer Diane Torres, Tour Liaison/Sports Information Director Freddy DeJesus and CUNY Sports Jam Producer Adolfo Lee, who documented the event on film and produced a show based on the trip for broadcast on CUNY-TV.

“It was an honor and privilege to coach the CUNYAC Goodwill team. This was a chance of a lifetime for these student-athletes to represent their colleges, CUNYAC, and themselves against international competition. I really appreciated the opportunity to coach with Rene,” stated coach Meadow.