Steven Tarquinio has been named the CUNYAC/Hospital for Special Surgery Scholar-Athlete of the Month for April 2016. The Middle Blocker has maintained a 3.929 GPA while majoring in both Childhood Education and History at Hunter College. The Captain put forth an outstanding performance in April and holds a team high hitting percentage of .354.
From a young age, volleyball has been a part of Tarquino’s life. He began playing competitively in 7th grade. Athleticism runs in his family and Tarquinio was first introduced to the sport by his mother, who was a tri-sport athlete. The Junior has two younger siblings, who are active as well. Tarquinio’s mother has become the “team mom” for the Hawks “She comes to pretty much every game, brings food, and screams her head off.” His mother is also Tarquinio’s source of inspiration, “She’s my rock, support system and has instilled many crucial values that I portray today. We have a special relationship,” he adds warmly.
Tarquinio recognized the amazing value in choosing Hunter College, “It was the perfect mix for me. Hunter offers a strong education program, competitive volleyball and I live in the greatest city in the world.” The Smithtown native is grateful for the type of students that Hunter College attracts, “I love the diversity here, meeting new people and experiencing cultures unique from my own is amazing.” Although Tarquino’s experience with VBLI allowed him to participate on the national level, and he had many offers from DII programs in the Southwest, he declined, “Ray Bello was the coach at the time, and he also felt Hunter was a perfect fit for me, and was confident that he could build a better volleyball program around me.” Hunter Head Coach James Pompeo envisioned future successes for his Middle Blocker and floor general as well.
"I’m extremely proud of Steve and it really comes as no surprise that he would be named scholar athlete. His work ethic in the gym is paralleled by that of the classroom and I know he’ll motivate his students to do just as well if not better in the future as a teacher. He’s been a pleasure to coach this season and he puts 100% into everything he does."
Steven Tarquinio had a busy month of April maintaining his 3.929 GPA in a double-major of childhood education and history. In addition to his academic excellence, Tarquinio led the Hawks to their first CUNYAC Championship in eight years, taking Tournament MVP honors and earning a spot on the All-Star First-Team. The junior also spent the past month volunteering with the Ronald McDonald House and other community service projects as the Vice President of Hunter's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
The SAAC Vice President shares his enthusiasm over Hunter’s partnership with RHM, “We help with chores, clean, and help create an overall cleaner environment for the guests.” As a result of their efforts, Tarquinio happily shares, “we have had such a positive impact that RMH has invited us to external events where we get to interact with the families and children on a more personal level.” Tarquinio genuinely enjoys helping others and believes that these interactions are essential for personal development.
Growing up in Smithtown, Tarquinio was talented and fortunate enough be a member of the Volleyball Long Island club. The intense competition allowed him to hone his skill, technique, and develop the leadership skills that guide his teammates today. Tarquino embraces his role as a leader, “As captain, it’s my job to keep the team moving forward and the biggest thing we rely on is trust. Without trust and allowing ourselves to be vulnerable and honest, we wouldn’t succeed. We’re talented and I’ve never played with a team that has so much heart, and it’s my responsibility to keep that culture going. We’ve had our ups and downs, we’ve beat nationally ranked teams and we’ve been beat, the best thing about this team is we talk about it and we always keep fighting.”
Tarquinio feels that the Hunter Hawks Volleyball team are all leaders, “Our coaches are very supportive, and encourage all of us to step into a leadership role. We work as one collective unit, although I am captain, everyone feels comfortable and has stepped up in that role.” What makes Tarquinio unique, is his ability to spark confidence in his teammates which in turn, makes them comfortable taking on a leadership role.
Holding a 3.929 cumulative grade point average as a student-athlete is not an easy feat. Tarquinio explains that having structure between academics and volleyball is not foreign to him. “I’m accustomed to organization. Growing up I always had a routine: school, homework, club practice, and then back home. School comes first. Volleyball won’t pay the bills, I need a degree. In order to be great on the court, I must strive to be even better in the classroom.” Tarquinio’s mature outlook has transcended to his fellow Hawks as well, “We are fortunate enough that our full team will be returning next year, and we have a shared goal, to be academically sound. We have study hall regularly and plan on maintaining our commitment to academic excellence,” Tarquinio adds.
When weighing the pros and cons of being a student-athlete, Tarquinio had an amazing realization, There’s only positives, I can’t imagine not playing,” he adds “I am able to follow my passion for the sport I love, participating on a team has shaped me, and it’s a privilege.” Tarquinio also sees the similarities between the classroom and being on the court. “Being a DIII athlete allows me to be the best version of myself in the classroom. Leadership positions and communication are values that are positively reinforced on the court, which carry over to the classroom.” In the future, Tarquinio would also like to coach, “Coaching pulled me toward to the Education field, and the fact that I can still play and coach others was a major attraction.
“This was one of my goals, and it is super rewarding to be named Scholar-Athlete of the Month for April,” Tarquinio takes pride in this accomplishment and adds, “I am very goal-orientated, and it feels great knowing that hard work really does pay off.”
Tarquinio has high expectations for his next and final season as a Hunter Hawk, “Each year we’ve been building up, we fall short but we keep pushing step by step.” His coaches share this vision as well, “We’ve had meetings with the coaches for player development and goal planning.” Academically, Tarquinio’s goals and plans are clearly outlined and he is aligned for success! He will be preparing to pass the certification exam, and then Tarquinio will be a certified teacher. Tarquinio explains, “I plan on pursuing a Master’s Degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, and eventually becoming an administrator.” In June, Tarquinio will be studying abroad in Madrid and is confident that immersing himself in the culture is the best way to learn the language.