AMHERST, MASS—To say that Amherst College’s point guard Hannah Fox was having a good year would simply be an understatement.

The 5’7” sophomore helped her team win the NCAA Division 3 National Championship defeating Bowdoin College 65-45 for the title. The victory marked Amherst’s second consecutive undefeated season as well as its second consecutive National Championship.

Fox scored 12 points, three assists two steals and seven rebounds during that game. In fact, Fox was the top three-point shooter (36.4%) and starting point guard for every game contributing to the Mammoth’s (33-0) record.

“I am so excited to be a part of this program," said Fox. "Helping the team win the National Championship was my proudest achievement. Just knowing that each possession during that game really made a difference and being able to experience and to look back at it thru game films and pictures was an experience I will truly remember forever."

“His preparation is unbelievable. We always felt we were completely prepared for every team that we were going to play whether it be knowing every single detail about the other team or knowing exactly what we needed to do to win that game. And just like on a personal level I want to do whatever I can to help our team win and everyone on the team feels the same way. He will do whatever possible to put us in the best situation for us to win the National Championship,” said Fox.

For Fox, having the position as starting point guard is truly an honor.

“I’ve learned so much from my teammates and the coaches” said Fox. “But the key thing I’ve learned this year is leadership." 

“Knowing each of my teammates style of play and their preferences to help everyone succeed one way or another was important. We were all working together and knowing each other’s capabilities and building a sense of comfort, but also not limiting anyone’s sense of determination to learn and improve upon was something that we built upon every day.

“One day one person stepped up the next day another person stepped up. Leadership is very contagious here,” said Fox.

Gromacki is no stranger when it comes to coaching a talented team. Just named National Coach of the Year for the second year in a row by D3Hoops.com, Gromacki has won three national titles in his 11 years at Amherst and knows a gifted player when he sees one.

“It’s not just her basketball skills but it is her leadership. She is a very intelligent player. She is just a determined winner and is someone that competes in everything she does,” said Gromacki.  “She does things out there that we have not seen before.”

Fox averaged 11.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per game and shot 40.4 percent from the floor and 35 percent from behind the three-point line.

“Hannah is an extremely gifted player and just a joy to coach because of the intangibles along with her talent level which is very high,” said Gromacki.

Her strong leadership, competitive spirit and drive to succeed is synonymous with Fox. After all, Fox a graduate of William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia, made history and holds the schools record from a basketball player with an astounding 1,813 total points. Her transition from playing in high school to the collegiate level was seamless.

“Hannah is a very skilled basketball player who has spent countless hours working on her game.  She is very competitive and always wanted to be the best in every drill or competition that we had.  There is always an adjustment period when you go to the next level, but because of Hannah's work ethic, I am not surprised that it did not take her long to adjust,” said Penn Charter head basketball coach Joe Maguire.

Her list of accolades continues. This year Fox was recognized by the Womens' Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) as Honorable Mention to the All-America team, she was named All-American by D3Hoops.com and also named to the Final Four All-Tournament Team.

And just when you thought Fox would be taking it easy for the rest of the semester, think again. You can see her in action donning the #22 as midfielder on Amherst ‘s lacrosse team, which is currently (11-1) in the season.

When asked what advice she would give to other young athletes wanting to play multiple sports at the collegiate level, Fox did not hesitate.

As for her future aspirations off the court, Fox would like to pursue a career in business and finance.

(Angela DelVecchio can be reached at Phillysportsdigest@gmail.com)