Feature by Abiba Biao ‘28, Video by Leah Coleman ’24
The sound of shoes squeaking across the court floor echo at James Moore Field House as the Southern Connecticut's Women's Basketball team practices. In between the hustle there's one person that stands out from the crowd. At 6’1” Katie Williamson hovers above her teammates, the ball naturally gravitating towards her possession. With a leap and arms extended she launches the ball into the air, landing into the basket with a satisfying swoosh.
Williamson, 21 is a junior at Southern Connecticut State University, majoring in elementary education. Originally from Dublin Ireland, Williamson is a study abroad student and hopes to become an educator with her passion deriving from her strong value in interpersonal connections and experience helping kids back home.
Sporting the number 21, Williamson is a forward on Southern Connecticut's Women's Basketball Team. First introduced to basketball as teen, she played for her high school, Colaiste Pobail Setanta College in Ireland. Williamson racked up an impressive streak playing for the U20 Irish National Team and was named Two-time Under 19 All-Ireland Division C Most Valuable Player while serving as the assistant captain of her Under 18 squad.
Her journey to Southern started as took a gap year in 2019 after graduating from Colaiste Pobail Setanta College, taking time to improve her skills as a player before matriculating to Southern in 2020. While the transition from playing in high school to professional college caliber was daunting it wasn’t anything she couldn't handle. The biggest difference she noticed between playing basketball in the US compared to Ireland is its high popularity and fervent fanbase.
“In America the level is so much bigger. There’s more of a population. At home the level is competitive but over here it's bigger opportunities, better opportunities for players,” she said.
While basketball is a physically demanding sport, there’s also a heavy mental component behind gameplay that calls for synchronous coordination and team chemistry.
“For every team you’re on you kind of have to change your perspective and change your outlook on how the team will go and yourself as a player,” she said. “I might be a five (center player) on one team but I might be a four (power forward) here.”
She advised new players to get to know their teams and adopt a flexible mindset, saying that it strengthens a player's versatility and allows players to provide support to teammates in a variety of situations.
Williamson’s love for athletics has expanded into advocacy, thanks to her team's nomination of her for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee or SAAC, where Southern athletes provide input on educational and athletic matters to improve the student-athlete experience. She currently serves as a national representative for SAAC in the Northeastern 10 Conference and on the University level.
The committee first brings up proposals to Jay Turiano, Assistant Coordinator of Athletic Facilities who then forwards that to Chris Barker, Director of Athletics at Southern. “From there, we can kind of help not just the Southern community but the community around New Haven and around the area,” Williamson said.
No matter the problem, SAAC will do it all, addressing work culture and student morale such as sport fatigue. With SAAC’s advocacy and support of Southerns athletic team, a fueling station with beverages and food was installed — a small but meaningful gesture that allowed student athletes to energize and refuel after a hard workout.
SAAC has given her an avenue to make friends outside of basketball and interact with the larger athletic community. “It's such a nice community because you’re able to make friends first of all and you’re able to like, mix in with the different team sports.”
Williamson’s most memorable moment in SAAC was attending the Owl Awards in May, a gala-style event celebrating student-athletes athletic and academic achievements. The athletes had a grand entrance, walking in on a red carpet and were showered with embraces, laughs, and awards at the end.
Katie Williamson and SCSU Women's Basketball at The Owl Awards Photo by Colleen Murphy. Through SAAC, Williamson hopes to foster open discussion about mental health, diversity, and inclusion in athletics throughout the University. With the stressors of academic and physical performance weighing on student athletes, sustaining a positive mental headspace can be challenging. She believes that candid conversations around mental health can help alleviate the issue, and allow student athletes to build stronger support systems, enjoy their time on campus, and manage their academic and sports commitments.
While Williamson hasn’t dealt with mental illness, being miles away from her family has been emotionally taxing at times. “I’m a big family person. I love my family so much and I do miss them terribly. But I just know that wherever they are they’ll support me in any decision I make.”
Williamson tackles her homesickness by visiting Dublin annually during the summer. With student athletes abiding by a strict schedule, going home allows her to “fall in love with the sport all over again,” and play recreationally without the stressors of professional play. At home she focuses on post drills, shots, and increasing stamina and strength which not only hones her body but also serves as self development.
From being named Northeast 10 Conference Weekly Honor Roll to helping her team solidify wins against Dominican and Caldwell, and Pace University, her family is at the forefront of every decision she makes. “They sent me over here…it’s great to have that support from home, but I know that I’m making them proud.”
