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I am your host, Joplin Israel, and if you're looking to get to know the many great athletes here at Sainsbury's University, then I must say, you've definitely arrived at the correct destination. So, who is the athlete that is going to be featured on today's episode? Well, I'll let my imaginary interview wheel answer that question. Hey, cut the music real quick.
Alright, let's give this thing a good ol' spin. And today's athlete is going to be... Ah, Hannah Kilbane. Hailing from Orland Park, Illinois, she is a junior on the women's golf team here at Sainsbury's.
Well, I'm not gonna hold you all any longer. I sat down and talked to Hannah, and here's how I went. Hannah, thank you so much for being here. Thank you for having me.
Yeah, so, golf. Of all the sports, you know, this is one of the more interesting ones that I've covered so far. So I gotta ask you, why golf? Well, my dad first started me out in soccer.
I was around four. And then, I don't know why, but he just decided to get me a set of clubs, and he said, let's try golf. And ever since then, I've been golfing. So I've been, let's see, probably been around 17 years.
And then I became more serious when I was a freshman in high school. Ah, freshman in high school. So, Carl Sandburg, right? Yes.
Ah, so we both have a little SWSC in us. Mm-hmm. Interesting. I went to HF.
Oh, nice. So, I'm sure you probably have seen, probably seen them, not noticed them because you're always, you know, locked in competing and stuff. But, yeah. And ironically, today, our two schools actually have a meet against, a match against one another.
I did not plan this, coordinate this in any way, shape, or form. I just so happy, like, my boss, because I also work at HF as an athletic worker, he hit me up and said, do a soccer game. And I'm just looking at schedules. And I'm like, you know, let me see what's going on around HF and other sports.
And I just see Sandburg versus HF golf. I'm like, what? What a coincidence. Very coincidental.
Unintentional. Absolutely 100% unintentional. I promise you. But, yeah, that's how that went.
And I'm just like, all right. But, yeah, so you got to Sandburg, right? Yes. And that was really goal time for you in golf.
Yes. What was the process like when you first started golfing at Sandburg? I just wanted to do really well for my team. It was the first time that I was on a team for golf because usually when people think of golf, it's an individual sport.
And in many aspects, it still was. But this time, I actually had a team to compete with. And I also just wanted to represent Sandburg. And I just wanted to do well.
Again, the team aspect was very important for me. Yeah. Yeah, you definitely got off to a good start because if I'm not mistaken, you won a regional in your freshman year, I believe. I won conference four years in a row.
And then I won regionals my junior and senior year. My junior and senior year. Well, that's accolades galore right there. Force rate?
Yes. Clean and sweet? Yes. That's nice.
What did that feel like? Oh, it was amazing. My freshman year, I didn't think I was playing very well. But then one of my teammates said, oh, yeah, you won.
And I was really shocked. I was so happy, though. Yeah. That feeling when you feel like you just know you won.
Like, that's really cool, isn't it? Because it's like, in golf, do you know? Like, when do you know you won? I don't make any assumptions.
I wait until all the scorecards are in before I sort of celebrate. I mean, weird things have happened on the golf course. Anything can happen. I'm sure that can be said for any other sport, too.
But especially for golf, I just feel that so many different variables can be taken into consideration. So I wait until the last possible moment. And then I have to see for myself or my coach or something has to come over and say, congrats. And then I can sort of relax and be like, OK.
Oh, that has to be so tense. Like, you just have to wait. Like, if you're the first one to finish out of everybody, you just have to sit there and wait. Oh, my goodness.
That is so nerve-wracking. It can be. I mean, sometimes there are tournaments where you just know that you're playing well and you just have a feeling that, oh, I'm playing really well. I know I'm going to do well today.
Other than that, it's mostly just waiting. You have to wait and see. What do you think you've taken out of golfing as an eagle into when you went here and started golfing here? What do you think is the most valuable lesson you learned at Sandburg?
Again, I'll bring up the team. A lot of team aspects and working together with the team because you want to do well for your school. You want to represent whatever school you're playing for really well. And again, it's just I've been lucky to have an amazing team at Sandburg, and I'm lucky to have an amazing team here at St.
Xavier. So again, just emphasizing that the team aspect is really important. And I really liked when I came here that everyone was pretty close, and it's just, again, we want to do well for the school. Yeah, you mentioned it earlier, too, because chemistry is always a focal point when it comes to sports, everybody having to be on the same page and stuff like that.
But obviously in golf, it's a little different, not just because of the sport, but also because the teams aren't as big as a football team, per se. I mean, imagine having a team of like 60 golfers. That would be a very long tournament. But when you have that group of four or five, six teammates, how much more important is it to make sure that you all get along, you all have a bond, you all are supporting each other through thick and thin?
I mean, for any sport, like you mentioned, especially sports with a lot of people, I think it's still very important, but I feel like it's more so, especially like you mentioned, it's a smaller, tighter-knit group. So it also makes it easier for us to get closer. We can do a lot of team bonding. It's a little bit easier to coordinate things on our schedule since there are only, you know, like six or seven, like you mentioned.
So again, that helps with making the team stronger and the bond stronger. That's really cool because, you know, I know you and Emily have accomplished a lot over the past couple of years. And, you know, when you look back at your first two years, because obviously, you know, you're halfway home. I mean, I don't know if you are going to your master's or not, but.
Oh, yes. Okay, so you're a third way there, I should say. You're a third way there. I got to get out of my mind.
I'm thinking four and out, four and out, four and out. No, everybody's not four and out. We'll get to that later, too. But, you know, now that you're a third way through your, you know, collegiate golfing career, you know, where do you think you're at right now?
Where do you think, you know, you can improve most in your game and how far do you think you have gone? That's hard to say. Like anyone who plays a sport, they obviously always want to improve. And I feel, especially that team aspect, again, I'll keep mentioning the team aspect.
I always want to improve for the team. And that's a very important part of what I want to improve on because I want to do well for my team. And also just for me, I want to play as well as I can. A lot of the time, it's about relaxing.
They just sort of have to get out of their own head. They might be overthinking things. Really, it's super important that they feel comfortable with what they're doing. They can't be, they have to find that sweet spot of concentrating, but you're, again, like you'll be in the zone.
I can't really explain it other than, you know, you're in there where you're concentrating, but you're not overthinking decisions. You're just in that perfect spot to stay in the moment. Speaking of moments, obviously last year, you guys decided to make a trip to my hometown of Homewood and go to Rabbit's Lowe and you played conference. Yeah, you played second.
Great accomplishment. Thank you. But I would have to ask, in order to, you know, be able to win that tournament this year and next year and beyond that, what do you think you guys have to do and how can you use last year's results as motivation coming into this year? Really, I think, like you said, using last year's motivation is great for this year.
We just have to keep training, keep working hard. Again, our coach is really great. He's always pushing us to play our best, be our best. And I think a lot of that also stems from just playing tournaments because then we start getting used to that mindset of playing.
And it's just another tournament. Even though it's a big tournament, it's just another tournament and you play your best. So is it like tournaments all year long? We have two seasons.
One is happening right now and then next semester. So we have the fall season and then the spring season. It's a two semester sport. Holy crap.
Wow, so that's a long season for one. For two, how do you manage to go through that? I know on top of athletics, you have to deal with academics and you have to deal with everything else. How do you juggle all those things through such a long season?
Good time management skills. First and foremost, second, I have a really great support system. My family supports me. I have amazing friends that I can talk to.
So that really makes things a lot easier and more manageable. But yeah, it's all about time management. Yeah, I completely agree. That time management is something that always pops in my head when I'm thinking of athletes because I always think to myself, what if I was a student athlete because I've never been a student athlete before?
And I'm like, I'm not going to say I'm struggling in school sometimes. I mean, I do make occasional appearances on the things list sometimes, but I'm like, sometimes school just gets me sometimes. It's like, man, if I had to play a sport while doing this, I would lose it. And I'm just like, these athletes are amazing.
You are amazing. Your teammates are amazing. All athletes here are amazing. That is something that I just, I can't believe people actually do.
But it's amazing to watch. It's great to see that you guys thrive while doing it too. Yes. And for you especially, because you've got, like I said, you've got some accolades, both in high school level and in the collegiate level.
Like freshman year and sophomore year, like you got some high honors. Like what was that like to see your name pop up on those lists? It was really amazing. I remember last semester, my coach was saying, oh, I'm nominating you for CCAC Player of the Year.
So he was like asking me about that because he had to submit some questions and answers about me. And then I remember he was texting me and he was saying, oh, you won. Congratulations. And it was amazing.
I was really excited. It was just great to see at the end of the year that I won Player of the Year. And it was just, again, super exciting. That's crazy because you went from Freshman of the Year to Player of the Year.
Two seasons. Freshman of the Year, Player of the Year. That's insane, Tobin. That is insane.
I mean, that's an accolade that not many people achieve. Like that is truly something to behold. And this is my last question about athletics and then we'll get into some other stuff. When you ultimately graduate and, you know, four years from now, you ultimately hang it up at SXU and go on to your future endeavors, what do you want your legacy to be here?
And what do you want the team's legacy, the program's legacy to be once you leave? I just would like especially the golf program to really thrive and become even better. And again, my coach is doing this now. He's trying to build it up.
He's trying to build it up by, you know, recruiting more players for both the men's and women's teams. And I just want to see them excel in the tournaments and conferences. And then hopefully we make it down as a team to national championship. Yeah.
Coach Lynn has definitely done a lot of things. Yes. This is his second season here? Yes.
So you've played for two different coaches so far. Yes. Wow. And you've done what you've done with two different coaches.
I know I sound like a broken record right now, but I'm just amazed that, you know, you yielded all this success through all those circumstances, including, you know, going into nursing. Yes. So let me get this straight. Not only do you have the athletic accolades, you are also a two-time All-CCAC Academic Team member.
Yes. Well, so I definitely have to ask you, why nursing? Well, I'm really interested in the sciences, and I just really respect what nurses do and the nursing profession. I think that it's a great way to give back to the community and help individuals in the community.
And just as long as I can remember, I was thinking nursing is the profession for me. It's a very great profession. Like, when you look at the list of adjectives, if there was a list of adjectives to describe nursing, joke is at the rock bottom of the list. Nursing is no joke.
How do you think, how do you muster up the courage to pursue a career like this? I mean, again, it's mostly about me wanting to give back to the community and help others, because I know how difficult it can be for people to have a loved one to be sick, or they have an illness that they're trying to fight. And again, it's just caring about the person and giving back and helping them. Yeah, I definitely agree.
You're probably the first current nursing major that I've interviewed. So even though this is a school full of nursing majors, and this is a school that thrives off of its nursing program, you might be the first current nursing student. I've had students that have dropped nursing and then went to something else. But you are the first athlete I've interviewed that is currently in nursing.
And I've been waiting to ask, I've been waiting to ask, because I'm like, when am I going to get an athlete that is currently in nursing right now? But yeah, major respect to you, because it's a very, very important profession. And your motives are great. Your play is great.
Your game is great. Everything about you is great. It's great to see people like you wanting to help out in a world that needs help, that these people like you that are willing to give that help. So much appreciated and a lot of respect to you.
Thank you. Now, hobbies, hobbies, hobbies, hobbies. Do you have any of them outside of golf and nursing? I like reading.
I like listening to music. I like cooking, spending time with family and friends when I get the free time. During the school year, it's a little bit much together, because a lot of it is just focused around nursing school, golf, and work. Yeah, the big four.
Yes. I know it's mainly the big four, and time certainly is of a minimum at a premium, and it's very precious and stuff like that. But what kind of books do you like to read? You got any genres in mind?
Not really. I'll give anything a chance. Pretty much just whatever sounds interesting. I wish I could read more.
I always say that. It's hard. A lot of my reading now is the textbooks for nursing school. Are those things expensive?
Yes. All textbooks are expensive. Oh, man. Well, you're a student.
You understand how expensive everything is. I know, but it's like, for whatever reason, something says in my gut, like, nursing, they might really, really charge double, triple for nursing, since that's, you know, the school specialty or whatever, and they have so much invested in it. But, yeah, no, all textbooks are expensive, regardless. I pray sometimes I get it for free.
I find it for free PDF online for free. But, nevertheless, yeah, I like reading, too, especially on my own terms. Reading textbooks for class sometimes can be very strenuous. It can be very tedious, too, especially when, like, a high school English book about some mystery man on the street or something, I don't know.
I'm just like, eh, I don't know. Hey, go back and do annotations on the pages from 100 pages ago. Oh, I remember annotations. I'm like, oh, brother.
I'm so glad I'm done with English. But, yeah. Yeah, I like reading on my own terms. I'll say my favorite book that I've ever read was a book called Big Nate.
It was, like, way back when I was, like, a fourth grader. And it was about a guy who was around my age, you know, going through a lot of adventures in school, all his buddies and all that stuff. Like a kid, a normal kid living an abnormal life, going through abnormal events and adventures and all that stuff. And it just caught my attention.
I'm just like, yo, this is so cool. Yeah. In my retro voice. I was like, yo, this is so cool.
And, yeah, Big Nate has a special place in my heart. They made a television series out of it somehow. And I was like, oh, yeah, I'm feasting off of that. But, yeah, you also said you like to cook.
Yes. You got a menu? You got some certain specialties you're cooking up? Pretty much anything.
I mean, I learned how to cook for my grandmother. So she's been a big influence. So pretty much anything that she makes, I'll just copy her recipe. I'll cook with her.
During the holidays, we'll cook together. Like, make cookies during the Christmas season. Thanksgiving, we'll cook. So it's a really nice experience.
Oh, that's really cool. It's like extra bonus with the family, you know, the family incentive behind it. That's an extra bonus. Yes.
Things definitely are more fun with him. Definitely. That's going to do it for today's episode of the Player Profiles Podcast. I'd like to give a special shout-out to Hannah Kilbane for coming over to the station and taking the time out of her day to come and do this interview.
But until next time, so long, everybody. Thank you very much for listening to this WXAV 88.3 FM podcast. Be sure to visit our website, WXAV.com, for more information on your escape from ordinary radio.