{"id":109867,"date":"2026-05-04T10:47:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T14:47:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/?p=109867"},"modified":"2026-05-06T12:15:39","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T16:15:39","slug":"on-the-field-and-beyond-umw-student-athlete-built-a-playbook-for-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/04\/on-the-field-and-beyond-umw-student-athlete-built-a-playbook-for-success\/","title":{"rendered":"On the Field and Beyond, UMW Student-Athlete Built a Playbook for Success"},"content":{"rendered":"<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><section class=\"wp-block-umw-hero alignfull umw-custom-block umw-hero umw-hero--dark-text umw-hero--media-float-right umw-hero--white umw-hero--with-no-media umw-hero--with-no-content\"><div class=\"umw-hero__inner\"><div class=\"umw-hero__media\"><\/div><div class=\"umw-hero__title\"><div class=\"container\"><div class=\"umw-hero__title__wrapper\"><h1 class=\"umw-hero__title__header\">News<\/h1><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section><h2 class=\"alignwide wp-block-post-title\">On the Field and Beyond, UMW Student-Athlete Built a Playbook for Success<\/h2><div class=\"wp-block-group umw-news-author-credit is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-ad2f72ca wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-05-04T10:47:12-04:00\">May 4, 2026<\/time><\/div>\n\n\n<p>by<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author-name\">Sarah Hertz Mahoney<\/div><\/div><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-medium\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" data-attachment-id=\"109421\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/?attachment_id=109421\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/251009_umw_fall_branded-3865.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"8192,5464\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"2.5\",\"credit\":\"Parker Michels-Boyce\",\"camera\":\"Canon EOS R5\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1760018826\",\"copyright\":\"Parker Michels-Boyce\",\"focal_length\":\"38\",\"iso\":\"160\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.002\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"1\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;University of Mary Washington senior Jay Hooker&amp;#8217;s college journey includes four years as a defenseman on the lacrosse team, a major in accounting, a minor in financial and quantitative analysis and pursuit of internships geared to a business-related career. Photo by &lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/251009_umw_fall_branded-3865-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/251009_umw_fall_branded-3865-1024x683.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/251009_umw_fall_branded-3865-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of UMW senior Jay Hooker dressed in a business suit with a lacrosse bag on his shoulder and holding a lacrosse stick while exiting the College of Business on campus\" class=\"wp-image-109421\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/251009_umw_fall_branded-3865-300x200.jpg 300w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/251009_umw_fall_branded-3865-1024x683.jpg 1024w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/251009_umw_fall_branded-3865-768x512.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/251009_umw_fall_branded-3865-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/251009_umw_fall_branded-3865-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">University of Mary Washington senior Jay Hooker&rsquo;s college journey included four years as a defenseman on the lacrosse team, a major in accounting, a minor in financial and quantitative analysis, leadership roles on campus and internships geared to a business-related career. Photo by Parker Michels-Boyce.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><p>When Jay Hooker &rsquo;26 first heard from University of Mary Washington men&rsquo;s lacrosse coach Drew Delaney, he knew little about the small Virginia university. At the time, Hooker was attending a lacrosse recruiting showcase in upstate New York, weighing interest from several schools.<\/p><p>&ldquo;I started peeling back the layers like an onion,&rdquo; said Hooker, who grew up playing lacrosse at Jesuit College Prep School of Dallas. &ldquo;UMW checked all the boxes.&rdquo;<\/p><p>Those boxes included an&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2024\/02\/12\/umw-college-of-business-achieves-accreditation-renewal-from-aacsb\/\">AACSB-accredited undergraduate business program<\/a>, a unique college town, close proximity to Washington, D.C., and the opportunity to compete as a student-athlete.<\/p><p>&ldquo;At the Division III level, you&rsquo;re encouraged to compete just as hard in the classroom as you do on the field,&rdquo; said Hooker, a four-year defenseman on the men&rsquo;s lacrosse team. &ldquo;My coaches gave me the flexibility to do both, and that was really important to me.&rdquo;<\/p><p>That philosophy has shaped his college journey, where he&rsquo;s majored in accounting with a minor in financial and quantitative analysis, and pursued internships geared to a business-related career. As he&rsquo;s grown academically, athletically and personally, he&rsquo;s held increasing leadership roles, helping other student-athletes find their footing, too.<\/p><p>He progressed within Student Alumni Ambassadors, from member to vice president to president, while also serving as president of the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/umweagles.com\/sports\/2024\/4\/12\/SAAC-2021saac.aspx\">Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC)<\/a>&nbsp;and the Dean&rsquo;s Student Advisory Board for the College of Business. He&rsquo;s also a member of Mortar Board and other academic honor societies.<\/p><p>Through SAAC, Hooker has represented student-athletes both locally and nationally, encouraged communication among teams and with administration, and mentored younger teammates. &ldquo;It doesn&rsquo;t take a title to lead,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;If you care about something and you&rsquo;re willing to show up for others, that&rsquo;s what matters.&rdquo;<\/p><section class=\"image-gallery layout__block\">\n\t<div class=\"image-gallery__inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__main\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__main__track\" js-slideshow-track=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__slide\" js-slide=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-main\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1131\" height=\"772\" data-attachment-id=\"109420\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/?attachment_id=109420\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/251009_umw_fall_branded-3697.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"8192,5464\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"3.5\",\"credit\":\"Parker Michels-Boyce\",\"camera\":\"Canon EOS R5\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1760017392\",\"copyright\":\"Parker Michels-Boyce\",\"focal_length\":\"41\",\"iso\":\"1000\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.01\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"1\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Senior student-athlete Jay Hooker majored in accounting with a minor in financial and quantitative analysis and completed several internships geared toward a business-related career. Photo by Parker Boyce.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/251009_umw_fall_branded-3697-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/251009_umw_fall_branded-3697-1024x683.jpg\" data-id=\"109420\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/251009_umw_fall_branded-3697-1131x772.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of Jay Hooker in a business suit holding a lacrosse stick in the lobby of the College of Business\" class=\"wp-image-109420\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__slide\" js-slide=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-main\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1131\" height=\"772\" data-attachment-id=\"109416\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/?attachment_id=109416\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/BE3A6945-1-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1707\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"2.8\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"Canon EOS R6\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1772598168\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"200\",\"iso\":\"500\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.0008\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Jay Hooker &amp;#8217;26 played lacrosse at Jesuit College Prep School in Dallas, Texas before coming to Mary Washington. &lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/BE3A6945-1-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/BE3A6945-1-1024x683.jpg\" data-id=\"109416\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/BE3A6945-1-1131x772.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of a Jay Hooker in a white jersey playing lacrosse for UMW holding a lacrosse stick.\" class=\"wp-image-109416\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__slide\" js-slide=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-main\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1131\" height=\"772\" data-attachment-id=\"109419\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/?attachment_id=109419\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_2829-SAAC-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1920\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"1.78\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"iPhone 15 Pro Max\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1763993238\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"6.76499986565\",\"iso\":\"320\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.0166666666667\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"1\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Episode three of UMW&amp;#8217;s official podcast with President Troy Paino (left) featured&lt;br \/&gt;\nseniors on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). Pictured here are co-presidents Sophie Hubbard (middle), Kalani Moore (right) and Jay Hooker (on laptop screen). Hooker was in Texas attending an SAAC event. Photo by Sam Cahill.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_2829-SAAC-300x225.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_2829-SAAC-1024x768.jpg\" data-id=\"109419\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_2829-SAAC-1131x772.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of three people at a desk with another person appearing on a laptop screen on the desk. Photo includes student co-president's of SAAC with UMW President Troy Paino.\" class=\"wp-image-109419\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__slide\" js-slide=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-main\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1131\" height=\"772\" data-attachment-id=\"109418\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/?attachment_id=109418\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/BE3A9167-1-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1707\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"2.8\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"Canon EOS R6\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1773815466\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"200\",\"iso\":\"8000\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.000625\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Jay Hooker &amp;#8217;26 is a four-year defenseman on the UMW men&rsquo;s lacrosse team.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/BE3A9167-1-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/BE3A9167-1-1024x683.jpg\" data-id=\"109418\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/BE3A9167-1-1131x772.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of a Jay Hooker in a light blue jersey playing lacrosse for UMW holding a lacrosse stick.\" class=\"wp-image-109418\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__slide\" js-slide=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-main\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1131\" height=\"772\" data-attachment-id=\"109415\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/?attachment_id=109415\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/0631-K-Pearlman-Photography-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1707\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"1.2\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"Canon EOS 5D Mark IV\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1731508087\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"50\",\"iso\":\"1600\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.008\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"1\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;At a Celebration of Giving event, Jay Hooker &amp;#8217;26 (second from R) poses with fellow Student Alumni Ambassadors. Photo by Karen Pearlman.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/0631-K-Pearlman-Photography-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/0631-K-Pearlman-Photography-1024x683.jpg\" data-id=\"109415\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/0631-K-Pearlman-Photography-1131x772.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of a group of students at an event\" class=\"wp-image-109415\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__slide\" js-slide=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-main\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1131\" height=\"772\" data-attachment-id=\"109417\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/?attachment_id=109417\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/BE3A7873-1-2.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2285,1523\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"2.8\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"Canon EOS R6\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1772603385\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"200\",\"iso\":\"4000\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.000625\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Jay Hooker &amp;#8217;26 (pictured #4) is co-president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee where he has represented student-athletes both locally and nationally, encouraged communication among teams and with administration, and mentored younger teammates. &lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/BE3A7873-1-2-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/BE3A7873-1-2-1024x683.jpg\" data-id=\"109417\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/BE3A7873-1-2-1131x772.jpg\" alt=\"Picture of Jay Hooker playing lacrosse for UMW and jumping for a ball in defense.\" class=\"wp-image-109417\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__nav image-gallery__nav--previous\" aria-label=\"Previous\" js-prev>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\r\n<path d=\"M18.5 12H6M6 12L12 6M6 12L12 18\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><\/path>\r\n<\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__nav image-gallery__nav--next\" aria-label=\"Next\" js-next>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\r\n<path d=\"M6 12H18.5M18.5 12L12.5 6M18.5 12L12.5 18\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><\/path>\r\n<\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnails\" js-thumbnails-container=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnails__track\" js-thumbnail-track>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail\" aria-label=\"Slide 0 thumbnail\" js-thumbnail>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-thumb\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"224\" height=\"116\" data-attachment-id=\"109420\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/?attachment_id=109420\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/251009_umw_fall_branded-3697.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"8192,5464\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"3.5\",\"credit\":\"Parker Michels-Boyce\",\"camera\":\"Canon EOS R5\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1760017392\",\"copyright\":\"Parker Michels-Boyce\",\"focal_length\":\"41\",\"iso\":\"1000\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.01\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"1\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Senior student-athlete Jay Hooker majored in accounting with a minor in financial and quantitative analysis and completed several internships geared toward a business-related career. Photo by Parker Boyce.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/251009_umw_fall_branded-3697-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/251009_umw_fall_branded-3697-1024x683.jpg\" data-id=\"109420\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/251009_umw_fall_branded-3697-224x116.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of Jay Hooker in a business suit holding a lacrosse stick in the lobby of the College of Business\" class=\"wp-image-109420\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail\" aria-label=\"Slide 1 thumbnail\" js-thumbnail>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-thumb\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"224\" height=\"116\" data-attachment-id=\"109416\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/?attachment_id=109416\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/BE3A6945-1-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1707\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"2.8\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"Canon EOS R6\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1772598168\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"200\",\"iso\":\"500\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.0008\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Jay Hooker &amp;#8217;26 played lacrosse at Jesuit College Prep School in Dallas, Texas before coming to Mary Washington. &lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/BE3A6945-1-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/BE3A6945-1-1024x683.jpg\" data-id=\"109416\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/BE3A6945-1-224x116.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of a Jay Hooker in a white jersey playing lacrosse for UMW holding a lacrosse stick.\" class=\"wp-image-109416\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail\" aria-label=\"Slide 2 thumbnail\" js-thumbnail>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-thumb\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"224\" height=\"116\" data-attachment-id=\"109419\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/?attachment_id=109419\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_2829-SAAC-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1920\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"1.78\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"iPhone 15 Pro Max\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1763993238\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"6.76499986565\",\"iso\":\"320\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.0166666666667\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"1\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Episode three of UMW&amp;#8217;s official podcast with President Troy Paino (left) featured&lt;br \/&gt;\nseniors on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). Pictured here are co-presidents Sophie Hubbard (middle), Kalani Moore (right) and Jay Hooker (on laptop screen). Hooker was in Texas attending an SAAC event. Photo by Sam Cahill.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_2829-SAAC-300x225.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_2829-SAAC-1024x768.jpg\" data-id=\"109419\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_2829-SAAC-224x116.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of three people at a desk with another person appearing on a laptop screen on the desk. Photo includes student co-president's of SAAC with UMW President Troy Paino.\" class=\"wp-image-109419\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail\" aria-label=\"Slide 3 thumbnail\" js-thumbnail>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-thumb\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"224\" height=\"116\" data-attachment-id=\"109418\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/?attachment_id=109418\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/BE3A9167-1-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1707\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"2.8\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"Canon EOS R6\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1773815466\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"200\",\"iso\":\"8000\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.000625\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Jay Hooker &amp;#8217;26 is a four-year defenseman on the UMW men&rsquo;s lacrosse team.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/BE3A9167-1-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/BE3A9167-1-1024x683.jpg\" data-id=\"109418\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/BE3A9167-1-224x116.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of a Jay Hooker in a light blue jersey playing lacrosse for UMW holding a lacrosse stick.\" class=\"wp-image-109418\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail\" aria-label=\"Slide 4 thumbnail\" js-thumbnail>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-thumb\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"224\" height=\"116\" data-attachment-id=\"109415\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/?attachment_id=109415\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/0631-K-Pearlman-Photography-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1707\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"1.2\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"Canon EOS 5D Mark IV\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1731508087\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"50\",\"iso\":\"1600\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.008\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"1\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;At a Celebration of Giving event, Jay Hooker &amp;#8217;26 (second from R) poses with fellow Student Alumni Ambassadors. Photo by Karen Pearlman.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/0631-K-Pearlman-Photography-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/0631-K-Pearlman-Photography-1024x683.jpg\" data-id=\"109415\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/0631-K-Pearlman-Photography-224x116.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of a group of students at an event\" class=\"wp-image-109415\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail\" aria-label=\"Slide 5 thumbnail\" js-thumbnail>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-thumb\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"224\" height=\"116\" data-attachment-id=\"109417\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/?attachment_id=109417\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/BE3A7873-1-2.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2285,1523\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"2.8\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"Canon EOS R6\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1772603385\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"200\",\"iso\":\"4000\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.000625\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Jay Hooker &amp;#8217;26 (pictured #4) is co-president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee where he has represented student-athletes both locally and nationally, encouraged communication among teams and with administration, and mentored younger teammates. &lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/BE3A7873-1-2-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/BE3A7873-1-2-1024x683.jpg\" data-id=\"109417\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/BE3A7873-1-2-224x116.jpg\" alt=\"Picture of Jay Hooker playing lacrosse for UMW and jumping for a ball in defense.\" class=\"wp-image-109417\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager__section\" js-page><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager__section\" js-page><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager__section\" js-page><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager__section\" js-page><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager__section\" js-page><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager__section\" js-page><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description-container\" js-description-container>\n\t\t\t\t\t                    \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description\" js-description>\n                                                                        <div class=\"image-gallery__description__summary\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Senior Jay Hooker majored in accounting with a minor in financial and quantitative analysis and completed several internships geared toward a business-related career. Photo by Parker Michels-Boyce.<\/figcaption><\/div>\n                        \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n                    \t\t\t\t\t                    \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description\" js-description>\n                                                                        <div class=\"image-gallery__description__summary\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Hooker, No. 4 on the Eagles lacrosse team, said &ldquo;At the Division III level, you&rsquo;re encouraged to compete just as hard in the classroom as you do on the field.&rdquo;<\/figcaption><\/div>\n                        \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n                    \t\t\t\t\t                    \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description\" js-description>\n                                                                        <div class=\"image-gallery__description__summary\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Episode three of UMW&rsquo;s official podcast with President Troy Paino (left) featured seniors on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). Pictured here are co-presidents Sophie Hubbard (middle), Kalani Moore (right) and Jay Hooker (on laptop screen). Hooker was in Texas attending an SAAC event. Photo by Sam Cahill.<\/figcaption><\/div>\n                        \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n                    \t\t\t\t\t                    \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description\" js-description>\n                                                                        <div class=\"image-gallery__description__summary\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Hooker (pictured #4) is co-president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee where he has represented student-athletes both locally and nationally, encouraged communication among teams and with administration, and mentored younger teammates. <\/figcaption><\/div>\n                        \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n                    \t\t\t\t\t                    \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description\" js-description>\n                                                                        <div class=\"image-gallery__description__summary\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Hooker (second from right) at UMW&rsquo;s Celebration of Giving event with fellow Student Alumni Ambassadors.<\/figcaption><\/div>\n                        \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n                    \t\t\t\t\t                    \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description\" js-description>\n                                                                        <div class=\"image-gallery__description__summary\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Hooker  played four years as a defenseman on the UMW men&rsquo;s lacrosse team.<\/figcaption><\/div>\n                        \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n                    \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section><p>Delaney, who recruited Hooker as head coach of Eagles lacrosse, said it was clear from early in the recruiting process that Hooker was ambitious, driven and intent on maximizing his experience at UMW.<\/p><p>&ldquo;He wanted to build a network and pursue leadership opportunities, and we worked together to make sure he could strike that balance,&rdquo; said Delaney, who is now UMW&rsquo;s assistant athletics director for internal operations. &ldquo;But what stood out most during his time at UMW was his energy. No matter how much he had going on, he was always genuinely enthusiastic about whatever he was doing in that moment.&rdquo;<\/p><p>Hooker talked about his college experience during&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/episode\/7bzVKwd3dyaMlJ3RGPwwBQ\">an appearance on UMW&rsquo;s podcast<\/a>,&nbsp;<em>What Matters Most With President Paino<\/em>. Appearing with his fellow co-presidents of SAAC, he discussed balancing academics, athletics and leadership with UMW President Troy Paino. Hooker&rsquo;s approach, he said, has helped him avoid burnout.<\/p><p>&ldquo;Each activity is a break from the other,&rdquo; he explained. &ldquo;Lacrosse is a break from class. Leading an event is a break from practice. You&rsquo;re resting one part of your mind while engaging another.&rdquo;<\/p><p>He&rsquo;s used a similar approach for professional development. Through summer internships in Texas that spanned accounting, corporate banking and private equity, Hooker has explored multiple facets of the finance world. For him, accounting became the foundation. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s the Swiss Army knife of business,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It gives you a set of tools you can use to do many things.&rdquo;<\/p><p>Those experiences, combined with his academic work and leadership background, helped Hooker build what he calls the &ldquo;evidence&rdquo; for confidence. After graduation, he&rsquo;ll put that confidence to work as he steps into a full-time role in the finance industry.<\/p><p>&ldquo;If you&rsquo;re nervous about taking the next step, that&rsquo;s usually when you should jump,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;And I&rsquo;m ready to take on the world with the confidence I&rsquo;ve been able to build at UMW.&rdquo;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>byWhen Jay Hooker &rsquo;26 first heard from University of Mary Washington men&rsquo;s lacrosse coach Drew Delaney, he knew little about the small Virginia university. At the time, Hooker was attending a lacrosse recruiting showcase in upstate New York, weighing interest from several schools.&ldquo;I started peeling back the layers like an onion,&rdquo; said Hooker, who grew [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":109,"featured_media":109422,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"umw_cb_additional_links":[[]],"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_advisory_expires_time":"","_advisory_meta_include":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[704],"tags":[708,15651,15660,15380,15661],"topics":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-109867","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-stories","8":"tag-commencement","9":"tag-commencement-2026","10":"tag-senior-spotlight-2026","11":"tag-senior-stories","12":"tag-senior-story-2026","13":"entry"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>On the Field and Beyond, UMW Student-Athlete Built a Playbook for Success - News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/04\/on-the-field-and-beyond-umw-student-athlete-built-a-playbook-for-success\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"On the Field and Beyond, UMW Student-Athlete Built a Playbook for Success\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"byWhen Jay Hooker &rsquo;26 first heard from University of Mary Washington men&rsquo;s lacrosse coach Drew Delaney, he knew little about the small Virginia university. 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