Service Credit Union Student-Athlete Spotlight: Isabelle Danahy & Nate Hobbs

By Jake Derene
Special to UNHWildcats.com

Isabelle Danahy and Nate Hobbs are featured in this week's Service Credit Union Student-Athlete Spotlight.

Isabelle, a native of Chelmsford, Mass., is a senior on the field hockey team. Isabelle is a huge leader on and off the field and has achieved major success in the classroom. She is a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and has earned ZAG Field Hockey / NFHCA Division I National Academic squad honors. Isabelle has also been named to the America East Commissioner's Honor Roll. On the field she has played in all 57 games during her career with four goals and four assists for 12 points. Isabelle is not the only member of her family to play Division I field hockey as her younger sister Claire is a freshman on the UMass field hockey team.

Nate is a junior from Peabody, Mass. who is a jumper on the men's track and field team. As a freshman, Nate impressed immediately as he broke the school's long jump record with a 24'9.75 jump to win gold at the 2019 America East Outdoor Championships. Also, in his rookie season he was named the 2019 Most Outstanding Rookie and Most Outstanding Field at the America East Outdoor Championships. Off the field, Nate excels in the classroom as he has been named to the America East Academic Honor Roll both in 2019 and 2020.

Learn more about Isabelle and Nate as student-athletes in their interviews below.

Q&A WITH ISABELLE

Being from Chelmsford, Mass. and going to college not that far from home, what does it mean to you to have your family being able to support you at your home games?

I am so grateful that I went to school closer to home. It has allowed my parents to be at every home game, and almost every away game. I am very fortunate that I can look up to the crowd and get encouraging smiles and cheers from my family. I also have family in Concord, N.H. and I always appreciate that they can make a lot of my games as well.

What has being a part of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee meant to you and how has it had a positive impact on your student-athlete experience at UNH?

Being a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee has broadened my perspective on how much of an impact student-athletes can have in our university's community. This past semester I worked on the Civic Engagement subcommittee where we worked to increase the number of student-athletes registered to vote. SAAC has also made a positive impact on my experience because it has given me the opportunity to meet other athletes and create friendships.

Your younger sister has followed in your footsteps and is playing Division I field hockey. What was it like growing up both playing this sport and were you a big impact on her and why she decided to play field hockey?

Growing up I loved sharing field hockey with my younger sister. It was always so fun to have someone to play in the backyard with. We learned a lot from each other. I cherish my senior year of high school when we got to play together. Since then, I have watched her grow into such an incredible player. I think I did impact her in her decision to want to play Division I because she could see what I was experiencing, and how much I loved playing in college. She has consistently motivated me to be my best.

What has been your most memorable moment so far being a part of UNH field hockey?

My most memorable moment as a member of the UNH field hockey team is my freshman year playing in the America East tournament. We went into the tournament with such good energy and won in two overtimes to make it to the finals. I think what made it so memorable was every single person on our team played our hearts out. I learned a lot about perseverance and grit from my upperclassmen that I have carried since then.

OFF THE FIELD WITH ISABELLE

Favorite Color: Blue
Favorite TV show: Schitt's Creek
Favorite Movie: Interstellar
Favorite Food: Sushi
Favorite Snack: Mango
Favorite Musical Artist: Maggie Rodgers
Favorite Pump-up song: Run This Town
Favorite Phone app: YouTube
Favorite Pro sports team: Bruins
Favorite Pro sports athlete: Serena Williams
Favorite Place on campus: T-hall lawn
What is your dream job: Travel photographer

Q&A WITH NATE

What does it mean to you to already break the school's outdoor long jump record as a freshman while also being named the 2019 American East Most Outstanding Rookie?

It meant a lot to me and felt good because of all the hard work I put in every single day. It also pushed me to want to work even harder to accomplish even bigger goals.

It seems you have a giant following on Instagram for your dunk videos, where does that passion for dunking come from?

I just like jumping and playing basketball. One day my friend told me I should start posting videos of myself jumping over things and dunking. I started posting them and then some big pages started posting my videos which was cool.

What is your favorite thing about being a student-athlete at UNH?

All the friends I have made through being an athlete.

Was it always a goal of yours to compete in college athletics? If so, what does it mean to you to have reached that goal?

It was definitely a goal of mine and it feels good to be able to compete at a high level representing my school.

OFF THE FIELD WITH NATE:

Favorite Color: Blue
Favorite TV show: Family Guy
Favorite Movie: Interstellar
Favorite Food: Cheeseburger
Favorite Snack: Cliff bars
Favorite Musical Artist: Drake/ xxxtentacion
Favorite Pump-up song: Shoota- playboi carti/dior- pop smoke
Favorite Phone app: Instagram/Twitter
Favorite Pro sports team: Celtics
Favorite Pro sports athlete: Russell Westbrook
Favorite Place on campus: The rec center
What is your dream job: To be a professional athlete

Check back every Tuesday to get to know two more Wildcats as part of the Service Credit Union Student-Athlete Spotlight. Thank you to Service Credit Union for sponsoring the Student-Athlete Spotlight.

Previous 2020-21 Student-Athlete Spotlights

Sarah Williams (Women's Track and Field) & Alejandro Robles (Men's Soccer)
Casey Peterson (Women's Soccer) & Jordan Buckmire (Men's Track and Field)
Haley Lui (Gymnastics) & Linus Fallberg (Men's Soccer)
Julia Neyland (Women's Lacrosse) & Brian Carter (Football)
Grace Middleton (Women's Hockey) & Charlie Kelleher (Men's Hockey)
Lisa Olsson (Women's Ski) & Nick Guadarrama (Men's Basketball)
Kate Bilyeu (Women's Volleyball) & Patrick Kenney (Men's Skiing)
Faith Bonett (Women's Basketball) & Angus Crookshank (Men's Ice Hockey)
Ava Boutilier (Women's Hockey) & Aidan Sullivan (XC/Track & Field)
Bloem van den Brekel (Field Hockey) & Jacob Gould (Men's Soccer)

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