Hofstra University Athletics

L aura Walker-Karson, a women’s tennis student-athlete in 1981-82, is one of only two National Champions in Hofstra Athletics history as she claimed the 1982 AIAW Division III National Championship with a 6-4, 6-0 win over Sandy Gyorgi of DePauw University in the finals in Madison, Wisconsin. 

Walker-Karson would help Hofstra qualify for the National Championship Tournament that season by winning the Eastern AIAW Regional title at first singles to give the team a third place team finish in the event. She would complete her junior campaign with a 21-0 record and earn All-America and All-East Region accolades. Her 21 victories rank second on Hofstra’s single season list.

The Hewlett, New York, native would appear in Sports Illustrated’s Faces In The Crowd for her tennis prowess and was also named to Who’s Who Of American College Students. 

A transfer from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, Walker-Karson was a member of AIAW Division I Tournament teams before returning home to complete her final year of eligibility at Hofstra.

Following graduation in 1983 with a degree in sociology, Walker-Karson worked for a hedge fund in Manhattan as a day trader for five years. She left that to work in the retail industry before enrolling in New York Law School, where she was honored on the Law Review.

After leaving school to start a family, Walker-Karson became involved in community and her children’s activities, volunteering for multiple groups and organizations, including the PTA. After moving to Fairfield, Connecticut, in 2009, Walker-Karson, and her husband, Jamie, opened several Pinkberry frozen yogurt shops before selling the franchises in 2014.

Walker-Karson is very involved in local politics and is an elected official on the Fairfield Town Council. She and Jamie have three children - daughters, Jordan and Kendall, and son, Robert.