BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The next alum in the Moravian College Department of Athletics & Recreation's Get to Know Series is former men's track & field student-athlete Parker Munson from the Class of 2015. Munson won the Landmark Conference Outdoor Championship in the discus in 2014, 2015 and 2016 and the shot put title in 2015 and 2016, and he captured the Landmark Conference Indoor Championship in the shot put in 2015. As a graduate student, Munson was selected as the Landmark Conference Senior Scholar-Athlete for Men's Indoor Track & Field and was named the Men's Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year in 2016. He still holds the school records outdoors in the shot put and discus.
Parker Munson
Class: 2015
How did you choose the sport you played when you were growing up? Our basketball season had just ended during my freshman year of high school when my stepdad, John, mentioned track as an outlet to compete and stay in shape before football summer workouts started up. I remember having zero idea of what a shot put or discus was. I was hooked after the first meet. So much preparation and anticipation comes down to less than two seconds of execution in the circle.
Why did you choose to come to Moravian College? It took one semester of not being a student-athlete at a big school to realize that wasn't for me. After quite a few discouraging cold calls to coaches and campus visits, someone finally called me. Joanna Kovacs heard I was looking for a track program to join and it didn't take long to sell me. Visiting the campus and meeting my future coaches and teammates made the decision simple. As any Greyhound knows, Moravian is an easy place to call home.
What experiences as a student-athlete at Moravian helped prepare you for life after college? The most transferable and important lessons I learned came from watching the transformation of the throws team over four years. The throws team went from contributing little to the overall track team score in championship meets to consistently putting up high numbers. It taught me a lot about culture and camaraderie and their impact on the everyday grind.
How did you get into your current occupation? I landed a job unrelated to my accounting major and decided to start my MBA at Moravian immediately as I had a year left of eligibility I wanted to use for track. J.P. Oralndo's graduate class Leadership Competencies introduced me to Todd Schurra who is the Sr. General Manager at Curtiss-Wright EPD in Bethlehem. A few semesters later I was looking for a new job and we had our fourth class together. It also turned out that they were hiring for an accountant. Thanks to my mom for convincing me not to take a break from classes that semester! From there I started making the transition from accounting into finance and again made a connection that brought me to my current company, Legend Biotech.
What was your favorite place on campus? The discus circle in late spring between 4-7 p.m.
What activities/organizations were you involved in at Moravian College as a student-athlete? Outside of athletics and the classroom, I was a brother of Sigma Phi Epsilon.
What was your most memorable moment at Moravian? There are collections of moments that are most memorable to me: throwers-only van rides to and from track meets, Sundays at the SigEp house playing Super Smash Bros, 3rd floor PPHAC conference room study sessions, and early morning practices in the dungeon (basement of Rocco Calvo Field grandstand).
What advice do you have for prospective student-athletes looking to attend Moravian College? When your time in college comes to an end it will be the hard work put into classes, workouts, practices and, most of all, relationships that leads to fulfillment. Choose a school that provides the best environment for you to do this. This will be different for everyone. For me, it was Moravian because of the strong sense of community.
What advice do you have for current student-athletes as they approach graduation? Enjoy it. Acknowledge all that you've accomplished over the last few years and give yourself time to close this chapter as it's easy to get swept up in what's next. Build relationships with people in the fields you are interested in and learn as much as possible.
What is the best piece of advice you've been given? Work hard and build resonant relationships. The best opportunities later will come from knowing people who believe in you.
Who are your role models/most influential people? My parents have had the biggest impact on my life and continue to be role models for me. I've also been extremely fortunate to have come across some great people at Moravian that had a big impact. To name a few: Jon D'Ottavio, Bob Luciano, Jesse Baumann, Joanna Kovacs, Dr. James Ravelle, Dr. Tom Egan, Dr. Liz Kleintop, Dr. Sabrina Terrizi, Dr. Barbara Vinciguerra, Dr. J.P. Orlando, and Joseph Szmania.
Which three people, living or dead, would you like to share a meal with? Beyoncé, Robert Iger, Bill Campbell
Quick Hits:
Favorite Color – Red
Favorite Food – Anything and everything Mexican
Favorite Restaurant – Aqui Es on Linden St in Bethlehem
Favorite Movie – As Good as It Gets
Favorite TV Show – Veep
Favorite Musical Artist – Kanye
Favorite Athlete – Peyton Manning
Favorite Pro Team – Colts
Hobbies – Golf & Snowboarding
Most Prized Possession – GameStop shares (lol jk)
Ideal Travel Destination – Lakehouse
Your Spirit Animal – Batman
Superpower you'd Like to Have – Super metabolism
