The 2023-24 school year is bringing major changes to the St. Anthony athletic department. In addition to the brand new athletic complex at Clark Field, which will be in use this season for the football, soccer, and track & field teams, the Saints also have new leadership for their sports programs.
Kathy Hernandez has taken over as the new athletics director for the Saints, adding the latest chapter to her career as an educator and administrator in Long Beach.
“I just felt this calling because I feel like the kids at this age level really need somebody that can be a mentor, which I feel I can do,” Hernandez said. “And so I looked at St. Anthony because it’s a school rich in history, it’s been here 100 years, and I’ve always worked in Catholic schools. So I wanted to end my career in education with sports, because I love ‘em. I love sports.”
Hernandez grew up in Carson as part of a sports-crazed family. She attended Bishop Montgomery and St. Philomena before getting her liberal studies degree at Cal State Dominguez Hills with a minor in physical education.
She began her career as the athletic director at St. Cornelius Elementary in Long Beach, where she served for nine years. After that, she spent a decade as the principal at St. Maria Goretti, where she took on a slew of different responsibilities. Hernandez says she’s ready to take the next step up to the high school level and make an impact for students on and off the field.
“I'm really excited about it, I cannot wait,” said Hernandez, who will also be the dean of girls at St. Anthony. “I will have worked with every single age group now, which I think is awesome. So I'm just ready to bring my gifts over here and share them with the parents, the school community and the students, so I'm really excited.”
With the new athletics complex set to open this weekend for the season opening football game, it will kick off a new era for Saints athletics. However, there will still be ongoing needs for the school when it comes to fundraising and growing the student body. Those are challenges that Hernandez is confident in facing as she works to put her influence on the athletic department.
“I am very, very organized and I like structure and I like systems to be put in place,” Hernandez explained. “Once we get those in place, I just can't see athletics doing anything but stupendous things in the future. I just think that once you have something set up, people will invest in us. Because they're gonna see this is a great opportunity to show off their business or their things with the school, because we're doing great things on the field, in the gym, and out in the community.”
