by The Cowl Editor on May 2, 2019
Friar Sports
By Jack Belanger ’21
Sports Co-Editor
As the year comes to a close (though not for all spring sport athletes), I wanted to look back on the year for Providence College sports. This year, the sports section of The Cowl covered big moments and special people that deserved recognition from the Friar community. As a section, we made it a point to cover all sports across campus, get the inside scoop from athletes and coaches, and recognize students who competed away from campus.
In the fall, we covered the Providence College Men’s Soccer Team celebrating their 50th season as they made it to the Big East semifinals. Abbey Wheeler ’20 won NCAA Cross Country Division I National Athlete of the Week twice during the cross-country season, it seemed every week she was among the top racers as she won three races during in the fall and came in fourth during the Big East race.
Even though the PC Men’s Basketball Team did not perform to everyone’s expectations, the team still had a fairly successful season and the winter sports season remained the peak for PC athletics. The freshman class proved that the team will stay competitive for years to come. The PC Women’s Basketball Team had their most successful season in recent memory, posting a 19-16 overall record as well as earning their first Big East tournament win since 2001 and earning a spot in the Women’s National Invitational Tournament. Jovana Nogic ’19 broke the College record for three-pointers and Mary Baskerville ’22 had a stellar rookie season as she went on to win Big East Freshman of the Year.
The Women’s Ice Hockey Team brought in Matthew Kelly as their new head coach and found immediate success. The team had an outstanding season that saw them ranked in the top 10 for most of the season. Men’s ice hockey also had a historic season. After losing several stars from last season, the team retooled, filled the missing holes, and made their sixth straight national tournament. In the first round the Friars came back from a 3-0 to Minnesota State University by scoring six unanswered goals. They would ride that momentum all the way to their fifth Frozen Four appearance in College history. While the team fell short of making the finals, this was one of Nate Leaman’s finest seasons as a coach.
The PC Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Teams continued to have success during the indoor season. Millie Paladino ’19RS was named 2019 Northeast Region Female Track Athlete of the Year after she won the Big East title in the 3,000-meter race and came in third at the NCAA championship for the mile run.
This spring, the PC Women’s Softball Team is currently in a breakout season as they are 28-20 after a disappointing season last year. Outfielder Emma Lee ’19 set the school record for most career hits with 215. Former Friar Emily Sisson ’14 finished sixth in the London Marathon with a time of 2:23.08, which was sixth fastest for an American woman in history.
Outside of reporting on the games, The Cowl managed to get exclusive interviews with several athletes and coaches such as Track and Field Coach Ray Treacy, Paladino, Wheeler, and Vincent Desharnais ’19. Next year, we hope to give students, teachers, and alumni an even more in-depth look into what is happening for the Friars.