Tag: Friar Sports
Volleyball Looks to Build From 2017
by The Cowl Editor on August 30, 2018
Sports
By Meaghan Cahill ’20
Sports Co-Editor
Coming off their first winning season since 2007, which included a five match win improvement in Big East play, Providence College’s Volleyball Team is looking to improve those numbers this year.
Returning player Addison Root ’20 will be looked at as a key player for the upcoming season. The only Friar to be named to the All-Big East Second Team, Root concluded her rookie season by leading the team in kills (416), service aces (36), and points (416). She was third on the team in digs with 258. In overall Big East play, Root, who is an outside hitter, ranks third in service aces per set (.31), fifth in kills per set (3.59), and fifth in points per set (4.01). A big part of the team’s success last season, Root recorded 21 kills in a single match twice and recorded double digit digs and kills in the same match on nine different occasions.
Aside from Root, Allison Impellizeri ’19 is another key player to be on the lookout for. Starting in 17 of the 20 matches she played in last season, Impellizeri tallied 152 kills and 45 blocks. Her sophomore season consisted of her starting in 33 matches and leading the team in blocks (80), ranking third on the team in kills (246), and setting a season high for kills in a single match (16).
Allison Barber ’21 is a returning player that turned many heads during her freshman year alongside Root and Impellizeri, and will definitely be a player to watch this upcoming season.
As a freshman, Barber started in all 33 matches and played in all 116 sets. Her breakout season concluded with her leading the team in assists (1,162) and she recorded a season-high 54 assists against the University of Alabama, Birmingham.
The incoming freshman class consists of four new players; Katie McLellan ’22, Mackenzie Taylor ’22, Emma Fink ’22, and Nina Askew ’22, to join 11 returning players, including two sophomores, five juniors, and four seniors.
The season started for the Friars on Aug. 24, when they appeared in the Boston College Invitational. Coming out of the tournament, the team went 1-2, dropping matches 0-3 against both Sacred Heart University and Boston College. The tournament ended on a high note for the team as they swept Hartford University in all three matches.
Impellizeri started the match off strong as she collected 6 of her 10 kills in the first set and finished the match with a team-best 10 kills for PC and hit .471. Along with Impellizeri, Jenae Alderson ’20 and Root both notched nine kills in the win and Mackenzie Taylor ’21 recorded a season-best 24 digs.
The Friars will play next in their 14th Annual Friar Volleyball Classic, which kicks off on Friday, August 31 against University of Massachusetts, Lowell in Mullaney Gym.
A Year in PC Sports: Fight for Drew Brown Night
by The Cowl Editor on May 3, 2018
Sports
By Sam Scanlon ’19
Sports Staff
The Providence College community lost a great one this year. Drew Brown ’16, a former Friar hockey player and National Champion, lost his courageous battle with cancer on November 11, 2017, at the age of 25.
The Friars hosted the University of Massachusetts Amherst Minutemen for a weekend series on Nov. 10-11. Earlier that week, the game against UMass Amherst was named “I Fight for Drew Brown Night” with all proceeds going to the Brown family. By doing this, it was a way the community could stand with Brown and fight alongside him. Unfortunately, hours before the game, Brown lost his battle. “I Fight for Drew Brown Night” proceeded as planned, with countless heartfelt tributes throughout the night.
With their fallen brother in mind, the Friars took the ice on Saturday night to play and fight for Drew Brown. Former teammate and captain of the Friars, Brian Pinho ’18, got the Friars going early as he deposited his first goal of the game in just under five minutes. Pinho’s emotion throughout the game was felt by everyone in the arena that night, so his first tally opened the floodgates and sparked the Friars’ onslaught.
Following Pinho’s first strike, four consecutive power play goals ensued for the Friars, starting with Scott Conway ’19, a pair from defenseman Ben Mirageas ’21, and Pinho’s second of the game. The power play success brought the score to 5-2 with one period left to play.
The Friars’ main goal was to win this contest against a Hockey East opponent. However, everyone’s mind was on winning for Drew Brown, and the entire locker room wanted to do something special for him.
A little over halfway through the third period, forward Erik Foley ’19 scored a beautiful goal to extend the Friar lead to 6-2. With time winding down and a sizeable lead for the Friars, something still felt missing from the game. The missing piece was provided by Kasper Björkqvist ’20 with under two minutes left to play on yet another power play goal. This goal, however, lit up the entirety of Schneider Arena. This goal was goal number seven for the Friars on “I Fight for Drew Brown Night”. In his time with the Friars, Drew Brown wore number seven.
A Year in PC Sports: Catarina Rocha Wins Cross Country Title
by The Cowl Editor on May 3, 2018
Sports
PC Runner Caps Off College Career as a Champion
By Meaghan Cahill ’20
Sports Co-Editor
Catarina Rocha ’17GS may not be the most well-known athlete on Providence College’s campus, but that does not diminish the outstanding performances she gave this year for the Providence College Women’s Cross Country Team. Her individual achievements as a runner are what makes her stand out as having one of the best sports moments of the 2017-2018 year.
The Big East Cross Country Championships were a success for the women’s cross country team, as they came in second place. However, Rocha was the star of the meet. She came in first place out of all of the female runners. Her placement earned her not only the title of the best runner in the Big East, but she was also awarded All-Big East First Team Honors. Rocha is the ninth Friar in history to win the individual Big East title.
Commenting on her success at the Big East Championships, Rocha claimed it was her “biggest sporting achievement to date.” Rocha also confessed her win came as a “surprise,” especially after being sidelined the year before due to an injury.
Head Coach Ray Treacy also commented on the four-time elected All-Northeast Regional Team member after her win saying, “I am especially proud of Catarina for winning the individual title. She has been a standout runner for us.”
Rocha is also a member of the track team at PC and, during the winter season, was the Big East Champion in the 5000-meter race.
In her final year at PC, Rocha went out on top as she wrapped up her athletic career as the winner of the Paul Connolly Memorial Award. This award is given to the female athlete who distinguished herself among her peers through sportsmanship, courage, and honor.
A Year in PC Sports: Friars Make Run At Big East Title
by The Cowl Editor on May 3, 2018
Sports
Basketball Team Falls Just Short of Third Championship
By Jack Belanger ’21
Sports Co-Editor
The Providence College Men’s Basketball Team had an overall successful regular season this year, going 21-14 overall and 10-8 during Big East play. While there were disappointing losses to DePaul University and to the University of Massachusetts-Amherst who would go on to finish 13-20 in the regular season.
This left some fans frustrated with the team’s performance, but the Friars certainly made up for those losses with home wins against top 10 ranked Villanova University and Xavier University.
Despite the impressive upsets, many basketball experts still had PC on the edge of being picked for the NCAA National Basketball Tournament. Most people believed the Friars had to pick up a win or two in the Big East tournament to solidify a spot in the field. With a first round matchup against Creighton University, who also finished 10-8 in the Big East, a win was no guarantee. But by the end of the tournament, the Friars accomplished more than enough to earn a bid.
The game against Creighton was tight the whole time as neither team had more than a three-point lead in the final 10 minutes of regulation. Alpha Diallo ’20 scored on a putback layup with 12 seconds left to tie the game at 59-59 and force overtime.
In OT, Kyron Cartwright ’18 scored five out of Providence’s 13 points to lead the Friars to a 72-68 victory over the Blue Jays and a matchup with first place Xavier. Diallo was the leading scorer for the team with 19 points while Cartwright and Rodney Bullock ’18 each had 13 points.
The semifinal game did not start the way Providence had hoped as they found themselves down 17 points early in the second half. The Friars then went on a miraculous 29-12 run to tie the game at 64, sparked by Cartwright and Nate Watson ’21, who had 10 points in the second half. The Friars would head into overtime tied 68-68.
Again, it was Diallo and Cartwright who led the team in OT. Cartwright hit the go-ahead shot with less than a minute to go to give the Friars a 73-70 lead and then drew an offensive foul on Xavier’s J.P. Macura to seal give the ball back to the Friars. Diallo scored four points into overtime and his last second free throws forced Xavier to shoot a three that was too late.
The unbelievable win sent the Friars to their third Big East Finals appearance in team history and first since winning the Big East in 2014. The only team left standing in their way was the defending Big East Champions, the Villanova Wildcats.
While it may have been a daunting task to upset a heavily favored Villanova team, the Friars were already able to upset the Wildcats at home earlier in the season and beat Xavier twice.
After a close first-half where the Friars found themselves down by four, Villanova made a run to extend its lead to 12 early in the second half. Luckily, the Friars found enough magic once again to make a comeback to tie the game late. Diallo gave the Friars a 60-58 lead with 40 seconds left in regulation before Villanova managed to the tie the game and force Providence’s third straight overtime game, a Big East tournament record.
In overtime, Villanova took complete control and Providence was outscored 16-6 in the extra minutes. Diallo finished with another great game, scoring 22 points and had 10 rebounds while Cartwright had 19 points.
Even though the Friars fell short of the title, the team played its best when it counted the most. After a season with several disappointing games, the Friars showed college basketball what they were capable of when they played their best, a team that plays tough defense and hustles until the end. Despite losing the first round of the national tournament, Providence’s remarkable run in the Big East tournament proved that the season was a success.
A Year in PC Sports: Miracle at the Dunk
by The Cowl Editor on May 3, 2018
Sports
Basketball Season Highlighted by Upset Win Over ‘Nova
By Thomas Zinzarella ’21
Sports Staff
After seeing the Providence College Men’s Basketball Team come off an unexpected loss against DePaul University during the latter part of the week, the Friar faithful made sure to come out in force and rally behind their home team as they hosted the No. 2 ranked Villanova University Wildcats on Wednesday, February 14. Friar students stole the clothing headlines as they outmatched Villanova head coach Jay Wright and his fresh dry-cleaned suits with their pink Friar t-shirts to commemorate Pink Out in Friartown.
PC had gotten crushed by the Wildcats earlier in the year, but from the tip-off, Friar fans could see the team was going to fight all 40 minutes.
The Friars stuck with Villanova early on and had a 27-23 lead at half. PC’s defense held the Wildcats to 0-7 from behind the three point line in the first half.
Through the first 10 minutes of the second half, neither team could gain an edge. PC held a 49-47 lead when Rodney Bullock ’18 finished with an electric one-handed slam dunk that sent the Dunkin’ Donuts Center into a frenzy.
Villanova continued to struggle to find their rhythm on offense as the Friars put constant pressure on their shooters all night. Lead by Kyron Cartwright ’18 and Alpha Diallo ’20, PC pushed ahead to a 67-58 lead with about four minutes left to go.
Cartwright led the Friars with 17 points while Diallo and Bullock both scored 14. Jalen Lindsey ’18 also chipped in with three 3-pointers and playing stout defense.
Villanova did not go down quietly, however, as Collin Gillespie hit a layup with 29 seconds left to make the score 72-69, but it was too late for a comeback. The Wildcats were forced to foul and the Friars hit their free throws down the stretch to seal the unlikely win.
The Friars’ performance on the court that day prompted a court storming by the student section to celebrate the upset victory over a rival. The Friar community united to yell and scream the entire game.
Many coaches in the Big East despise coming to the Dunk, as it has been shown that the Dunkin’ Donuts Center is where ranked teams come to die. Friar fans welcomed Coach Wright with open arms and made sure to make it as difficult as possible for his Wildcat team to feel comfortable.
In a college basketball season full of upsets, PC was fortunate enough to be a part of the history, especially against one of their closest rivals.
The scene of students swarming the court only added to the tradition and the pageantry of PC basketball. From their double overtime upset bid over No. 1 Michigan in 1976 to their magical run in 1987, the Friars’ program looks to add more hardware and banners in the rafters in the near future.
A Year in PC Sports: Men’s Basketball Recruiting Class
by The Cowl Editor on May 3, 2018
Sports
By Sullivan Burgess ’20
Sports Staff
The best Providence College sports moment of the year was earlier in the basketball season, when the announcement of the Providence College Men’s Basketball Team signing two ESPN Top 100 High School players: Massachusetts native A.J. Reeves and Rhode Island native David Duke.
With many of the starters of this season including Kyron Cartwright ’18 and Rodney Bullock ’18 graduating, PC students needed a silver lining for next season; luckily, that miracle came in October off the court. Point guard David Duke from Cushing Academy, ranked 46th on ESPN Top 100, declined offers from University of Florida, University of Kansas, Syracuse University, University of Rhode Island, and University of Connecticut to stay in his home state and join Ed Cooley to become a Friar. Duke grew up in Providence and his parents still live in the Elmhusrt neighborhood. Duke is the highest ranked player to commit to PC since Rickey Ledo came to campus in 2012.
He will be joined by shooting guard A.J. Reeves from Brimmer & May High School, who signed in June of last summer, after declining offers from University of Louisville, Villanova University, and the University of Virginia. Reeves, who is six foot six inches, was named the Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year during his senior season, where he averaged 27.1 points per game and 9.1 rebounds per game.
According to rivals.com, which ranks the recruiting classes for each team, Providence has the 22nd best class in Division I. Both Duke and Reeves are considered to be four-star recruits according to Rivals and ESPN. With the signing of these two, alongside the signing of power forwards Kris Monroe and Jimmy Nichols Jr. PC turned into one of hottest schools to sign with in the Big East.
Aside from making PC one of the stronger schools in the Big East, Reeves and Duke’s attendance at PC maintains the winning culture and mindset Head Coach Ed Cooley brings each season for the school. Both athletes attended this year’s Iverson Classic, hosted by NBA Hall-of-Famer Allen Iverson, and have been in the gym together working on one goal, bringing the March Madness championship to Providence.
Their chemistry will be pivotal this upcoming season to help develop a rhythm to mix together with our current players to find the strengths of any team that stands in front of the Friars. Reeves and Duke are the spark of light this school needs to be taken seriously as contenders for March Madness. Their addition to the team will attract upcoming future Friar recruits who are looking to come here and be a part of the Friar Family and culture.
List of the 57th Annual All-Sports Gala Award Winners
by The Cowl Editor on May 3, 2018
Sports
Providence College honored its top student-athletes at the 57th Annual All-Sports Gala on Monday, April 30. The athletic department gave out awards such as male and female athletes of the year, among other awards. Here are some of the winners:
Male Athlete of the Year (Team Sport):
Kyron Cartwright ’18 – Men’s Basketball
Female Athlete of the Year (Team Sport):
Megan Hamilton ’18 – Field Hockey
Male Athlete of the Year (Individual Sports):
Ryan Trammell ’19 – Men’s Swimming
Female Athlete of the Year (Individual Sports):
Millie Paladino ’19 – Women’s Track
Mal Brown Award:
Brian Pinho ’18 – Men’s Hockey
(This award is given to the male athlete whose career demonstrated sportsmanship, courage, and honor.)
Paul Connolly Award:
Catarina Rocha ’17 GS – Women’s Track
(This award is given to the female athlete whose career demonstrated sportsmanship, courage, and honor.)
Sine Qua Non Awards:
Mark Jecewiz ’17 GS – Men’s Soccer
Katherine Fallon ’18 – Women’s Swimming
(This award is given to a male and a female athlete who have distinguished themselves among their teammates and have not received proper recognition.)
Jane Thompson Award:
Alana Serviss ’18 – Women’s Hockey
(This award is given to a male or female senior student-athlete who personifies all that is good about being a student-athlete at Providence College and shows selflessness, dedication, loyalty, courage and perseverance.)
Rev. Robert A. Morris, O.P. ‘46 Memorial Award:
Colin Miller ’18 RS – Men’s Soccer
(This award is given to a male or female athlete who had a profound impact on Providence College during their career.)
In addition to these awards, 93 Providence College athletes were awarded their varsity letters.
Battle of the Clubs
by The Cowl Editor on April 26, 2018
Sports
BOP Takes This Year’s Annual Softball Game Against Friars Club
By Jessica Looney ’20
Sports Staff
On Sunday, April 22, the Providence College Board of Programmers (BOP) went head to head with our favorite tour guides, also known as Friars Club, in the most obvious way to show who’s best: a game of softball. BOP ultimately pulled out the win, with a final score of 17 to 15.
The MVP of the game was BOP’s Kenji Fujita ’18, who took softball to a whole new level, dominating the field and at bat. With BOP’s Sean Sweeney ’18 pitching for his team, home runs were inevitable. A few anonymous Friars Club members were slightly skeptical of BOP’s batting tactics, but that is to be debated elsewhere. Chris Froio ’19 also contributed a great homerun for BOP.
BOP recently accepted several new members to their squad, Sydney MacKillop ’20 being one of them. MacKillop says the game “was a great experience as a new member,” and really got everyone together as a club.
Another one of BOP’s newest members, Corrie Traverse ’20, also killed the game, pulling her high school softball skills out of nowhere. Traverse said, “We worked super hard the week before so it payed off and Kenji really stepped up as a coach.” Olisa “Simba” Obioha ’20, said it was “a hard fought game, and Friars Club showed lots of effort, but BOP came out on top.” He boldly added, “the trophy’s back where it belongs.”
Despite the loss, Friars Club had a lot to say. The game was close, and there were some really great plays throughout the whole game. With a phenomenal pitcher, John Birle ’19, and a great catcher in Maggie Zied ’19, Ryan “Fridge” O’Malley ’19, Andrew Widmer ’18, Jake Bamford ’20, Yucca Reinecke ’18 and Geoff Hite II ’18 all pulled out home runs, sending the softballs over the fence. It was absolutely an “all around great game,” says Hite.
A Friars Club win looked promising for most of the game, until BOP pulled ahead in the top of the sixth inning. Friars Club member Jamie Rush ’20 walked away from the game admitting that the loss was not too upsetting. Rather, the softball game “was just an awesome way to get two groups on campus together.” Jack de Poortere ‘20, another Friars Club member, stated, “Regardless of the loss, our sideline definitely had more fun” and advised BOP to “make sure they clean the trophy before the give it back to us next year.”
“The Friars vs. BOP game has become a tradition” says Christian Maloney ’20. “I’m already counting down the days until the next one… 363 days to go,” he added eagerly. Stay tuned for next year, to see who will come out on top.
Women’s Tennis Senior Game
by The Cowl Editor on April 19, 2018
Sports
By Eileen Flynn ’20
Sports Staff
The Providence College Women’s Tennis Team wrapped up their regular season play this past Thursday, April 12, on their home court. After a season full of indoor matches, the brisk air was welcomed by the players and brought a surge of energy to the team.
The team hosted Quinnipiac University for their Senior Day match, honoring the one senior, Katie Marvin ’18, for PC. Over 80 people gathered to watch Marvin’s last match on Providence College’s campus. Each fan was given a pink Friar’s Tennis T-Shirt to wear in the crowd. The cheers from the sea of pink right next to the courts added to the competitive atmosphere that afternoon.
Although Quinnipiac started strong, sweeping all three doubles matches, the Friars made sure to give their fans something to cheer about. Marvin won her singles match 6-4,6-2 and teammate Aidan Epstein ’20 won her match 6-2, 7-5. With both of these personal victories, Epstein was quick to name this game her favorite match of the season.
Epstein stated how Marvin’s energy and bright personality will be missed next year, “She always knows how to make a serious situation fun.” Epstein expressed how proud she was of Marvin to stick with tennis for all four years of college, unlike a few players that started out with her.
“Katie and I play next to each other and are there to cheer each other on throughout our matches.” This bond does not just exist on the court; Epstein explains how Marvin plays an important role in her pre-game ritual as well. “Me and Katie go get LaSalle before every home game and then join our team in the training room to mentally and physically prepare ourselves for the match.”
Marvin, Epstein, and the rest of the Friars have had to fight through a tough schedule this spring. PC beat Sacred Heart University 5-2 earlier in the season, but fell to tough opponents such as Harvard University, Marist College, Brown University, Villanova University, and St. John’s University. The competition, however, has only helped prepare the team for their upcoming Big East Tournament in Cayce, South Carolina that starts on April 25.
Epstein and the rest of the Friars are patiently waiting for the draw to come out later this week and to find out who they will play.
“I am excited to go and to see all the Big East teams in one place” Epstein states.
The tournament is set up differently this year. There is no cancellation draw and, therefore, is single elimination.
When asked what her team is doing to prepare for this tournament, Epstein explains that three players have recently been fighting the flu however, they are working hard and playing as much tennis as they can.
Dance Team Ends Year With Success
by The Cowl Editor on April 19, 2018
Sports
By Sullivan Burgess ’20
Sports Staff
From April 5 to 7, the Providence College Dance Team made their way down to Daytona Beach, Florida to compete in their second appearance at the 2018 NDA National Championship.
Last year, the Friars made their debut at the 2017 NDA National Championship and outperformed expectations by placing seventh in the country in the jazz category. It was safe to say that the bar was set for this year, and the only way to succeed was to work twice as hard and completely outperform once again.
This was exactly the mindset that coach Claire Creighton had going into Nationals. Creighton, in her third year coaching the team, looked to find a way to exceed the already high expectations for her team. Competing once again in the jazz category and for the first time in the hip-hop portion of the competition, the Friars had to put together two intense, two-minute dances for the events.
After performing for the student body at the Nationals Send-Off in Alumni Hall, the team was ready for whatever Daytona had to offer them. For captain Katie Printer ’18 and co-captain Daniela Roberto ’18, this Nationals was bittersweet. They were both proud of the process they used to get themselves to Nationals, yet sad knowing this would be their last season as dancers for the school.
Knowing this was the last time they would be dancing motivated not only them, but motivated both the captains and their teammates. Despite having the job of pushing the team to their highest potential, the captains made sure to take time to appreciate what they were a part of.
This year’s motto for Nationals was “The work is worth it,” and that is definitely what the Friars used to conquer all that had stepped in their way of achieving their goal of advancing. For the jazz portion of the event, the Friars missed their advancement by just .18 points of qualification. They seemed, however, to find their rhythm in hip-hop.
In the final round of Hip-Hop, the Friars gave it all they had and did not look back. Their performance earned them fifth in the country behind Webster State University, Stephen F. Austin University, Boston University, and Sacred Heart University.
Coach Creighton was more than proud of how the team performed, especially in a new category, at their second time at this competition. Creighton stated, “This not only exceeds our expectations from all the long and dedicated practices each dancer went through, it also makes a name for ourselves to show future dancers that Providence is dedicated to making the most out of the dance team in order to make it the best.”
This team is shaping up to be one of the most elite collegiate dance teams, for in their second time National Championship, they moved on to the finals.
When asked what the next step to improving the already successful team was, Creighton’s response was simply, “Bigger and better.”
Her goals are to make the program much larger, as well as making this passion and strength long-term, as they now prepare for their third Nationals appearance next year.
For the incoming dancers who will soon try out, Printer and Roberto offered strong words of encouragement to future classes. Both stated how all dancers have nothing to lose in trying out, and how being on the team is equivalent to a family, providing constant memories of great practices and fun times all around.