HWS News
6 August 2025 • Athletics Grosso Family Gift Honors Shared HWS Experience
A gift from Kristin and Christopher Grosso P’25 recognizes the relationship-rich culture HWS extends to parents as well as students, creating a powerful legacy for both.
A $50,000 gift commitment from Kristin and Christopher Grosso P’25 celebrates the graduation of their son, Nicholas (Nick) Grosso ’25, who graduated with a dual major in business management and entrepreneurship and history in May. Nick will join Kershner, Grosso and Company in August and begin the process for his Chartered Financial Analyst certification.
Nick’s experiences in the classroom and as a member of the Hobart Tennis team inspired the family to establish a tennis court maintenance fund to ensure a safe, high-quality playing experience for student-athletes. To commemorate the gift, Court 4 at the Tennis Center will be named the Grosso Family Court.
In the Grosso family, financial literacy, entrepreneurship and philanthropy are often topics at the dinner table. Christopher is a principal in the wealth management firm of Kershner, Grosso and Company and Kristin teaches in Marist University’s Integrated Marketing Communications graduate program in addition to running the family’s horse farm.
It should come as no surprise, then, that Nick established his own international numismatics dealership, NG Coin Sales, when he was 14 years old, and is still running the business. That same year, attending an Intercollegiate Tennis Association Championship tournament on campus put HWS on his radar.
Kristin says after that visit Nick placed HWS at the top of his colleges short list. His commitment solidified when he met Hobart Tennis Head Coach Tim Riskie and visited with the team during a campus tour. The impact of that meeting was such that Nick ended up playing all four years with the Hobart Tennis team, as well as serving as team captain and as a student trustee for the Statesmen Athletic Association.
During Nick’s first year, as he built his community on the court and in the classroom, his parents started to forge their own deep connection to HWS. That journey began at an alumni event when they met President Mark D. Gearan and the advancement team.
Soon, the Grossos were hosting Admitted Student events at their home in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and joined HWS’ Parents Executive Committee (PEC), a group that encourages parent involvement. “We found that a significant impact is made when parents of current students take the time to share their stories of HWS with prospective students and their parents. It brings a feeling of welcoming, connection and togetherness,” she says.
This dual experience - witnessing their son’s growth and forging their own bonds with the institution - encouraged the Grossos to create a lasting legacy. “We loved the idea the tennis court because of all that the tennis experience had given to Nick. We also felt very close to our HWS tennis family as we had traveled with the team each year to various matches, tournaments and over spring break. We wanted to help the program,” she says.
Riskie says the Grosso family's generous gift leaves a lasting mark on Hobart Tennis. “Their gift elevates our program today, while honoring a legacy of unwavering commitment, pride and belief in our future. We are grateful for their support and the powerful example they’ve set over the past four years - through Nick’s dedication as a great teammate, player and leader, and their family’s presence and encouragement of the entire team each season," he says.
Nick says he was inspired by the passion of faculty and staff including Coach Riskie, Associate Professor and Chair of Business Management and Entrepreneurship Craig Talmage, Assistant Professor of History Virgil Slade, and Assistant Hobart Tennis Coach Chip Fishback.
“Coach Riskie emphasized the importance of loving the game through good times and bad. I hope to bring forward this attitude into my professional life and cultivate a genuine passion for my work alongside the task-oriented goals my career will demand,” Nick says.
The Grosso Family Court joins three other named courts as centerpieces of HWS’ eight-court Tennis Center: the Morrow Championship Court, named in honor of former Heron tennis player and HWS Trustee Allison Morrow '76; the Melly Court, named in honor of Chair Emeritus of the Board of Trustees L. Thomas Melly '52, L.H.D. '02 and Judith H. Melly L.H.D. '16; and the Hebard Court, named in recognition of Edgar B. Hebard '60, a former Hobart tennis player.
In the photo above, Kristin and Christopher Grosso P’25 (center) join their children, Nick Grosso '25 and Caroline Grosso, in front of the Hobart and William Smith Tennis Center.
