Tag: Scott Jarosz ’21
Women’s Basketball Starting to Find Stride
by The Cowl Editor on December 6, 2018
Friar Sports
Team Goes 1-1 at the Ocean State Tip-Off Tournament
By Scott Jarosz ’21
Sports Staff
The Providence College Women’s Basketball Team had mixed results at this year’s Ocean State Tip-Off Tournament. The tournament consisted of all four Division I teams in Rhode Island, including the University of Rhode Island, Brown University, Bryant University, and PC. This year, the tournament was held on the URI campus at the Ryan Center from Dec. 1 to Dec. 2.
PC’s women’s basketball team came into the Ocean State Tip-Off Tournament with a three game winning streak and a 3-2 record overall. The previous three wins came over Sacred Heart University, Boston College, and Yale University. PC’s first test in the tournament was a first-round game against URI, a team that also boasted a 3-2 record entering the matchup. The game tipped off at 12 p.m. on Saturday. PC came out of the gates somewhat slowly, shooting just 11/28 (39.3%) from the field in the first half. Despite its low field goal percentage, PC managed to hold its own in the first quarter, trailing 23-19 at its end. PC struggled much more in the second quarter, scoring just 11 points while URI scored 18. PC’s struggles could be contributed in part to turnovers, as the team racked up 13 of them in the first half. By the end of the first half, URI led PC 41-30, with Maddie Jolin ’19 and Jovana Nogic ’19 leading PC in scoring with eight points each.
PC came back far stronger in the second half, outscoring URI 19-17 in the third quarter and 16-14 in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, the team’s strong second-half effort was not enough to overcome the first-half deficit; PC eventually fell to URI by a score of 65-72. PC’s record dropped to 3-3 on the season but there were some positive takeaways for the team. Nogic finished the game with 20 points, including six three-point field goals. Forward Mary Baskerville ’22 also notched a career-high point total of 11 points and retrieved eight rebounds.
Jolin added 10 points and six rebounds for the team as well. After the loss, PC went on to play Bryant University in a consolation game on Sunday.
Sunday’s game versus Bryant also tipped off at 12 p.m. at PC. Bryant entered Sunday’s matchup with a record of 2-5. This time, PC was more than ready to play and started the game strong. The team outscored Bryant 19-10 in the first quarter and Nogic continued to play strong, scoring 10 points in the first half alone. The team boasted a 53.8 field goal percentage, shooting 14/26 from the floor. At the half, PC led Bryant by a score of 33-31.
Bryant continued to challenge PC in the second half as both teams scored 21 points in the third quarter. However, PC was ultimately able to distance itself in the fourth quarter, outscoring Bryant 18-12. PC won the game 72-64 and improved its record to 4-3 this season. The team has now won four of its last five games. Nogic continued her impressive performance in the second half, adding 12 more points for a game-high total of 22 points. Another player who helped power PC’s offensive attack was Andrea Cooper ’21, who tallied eight second-half points and finished with 14 total points. The team now looks to prepare for its next game, which is scheduled to take place Saturday, December 8 against University of Massachusetts, Lowell in Lowell, Massachusetts.
PC Students Runs NYC Marathon
by The Cowl Editor on November 15, 2018
Friar Sports
By Scott Jarosz ’21
Sports Staff
Joe Rezuke ’21, from Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, recently participated in the 2018 TCS New York City Marathon on Nov. 4. Rezuke says he earned the opportunity to run in the marathon with the Home Base Foundation, a charity that is partnered with the Red Sox Foundation and works to help Veterans, Service Members, and their families who struggle with the mental effects of war.
According to the marathon’s official website, nyrr.org, the NYC Marathon is the world’s largest, with over 52,000 competitors in 2018. Of those who participated, 30,657 were men, and 22,151 were women. The average finish time for the marathon was 4:26:54 for men and 4:53:49 for women.
Rezuke finished the marathon with an impressive time of 3:35:42. He averaged a pace of 8:14 per mile and placed 15 out of 82 for the 19-year-old age group.
Rezuke discussed that the marathon was a rewarding experience. “It was a good time. Leading up to it, a lot of people say it’s one of the most beautiful races. It was really cool to run through all five boroughs (of New York City).”
Rezuke added that the incredible atmosphere of the runners and fans amplified the experience. “Everyone being there and screaming with a ton of runners was just a crazy experience.”
Although performing well is important for many marathon runners, it is certainly not the only reason to run a marathon. For a lot of runners, there are other contributing factors that motivate them to participate in a marathon and this was the case for Rezuke.
TCS New York City Marathon was not his first race, as he ran in the Boston Marathon back in 2017. Rezuke turned 18 years old just two days prior to the Boston Marathon and was the youngest person to participate that year.
Rezuke admitted that being the youngest person to compete in the entire marathon was certainly a contributing factor but cited a more important reason to run. “The charity I ran for was Be Like Brit. It’s an orphanage in Haiti and my family is really involved with that because my dad grew up with the owner of the orphanage.”
Rezuke said that he has been to Haiti three or four times and that this charity is very special to him. “Just having the opportunity to run for that organization that’s so close to home and that I’m really involved with, I immediately wanted to do it.”
Be Like Brit is a foundation that was created in honor of Britney Gengel, a native of Rutland, Massachusetts who passed away at 19 years-old after an earthquake struck Haiti in 2010 that killed approximately 300,000 people. Gengel was in Haiti with her school, Lynn University, compassionately serving children who were living in poverty.
The Be Like Brit Foundation was started by Gengel’s family to continue her mission by building an orphanage in Haiti that welcomes impoverished children and makes them a part of their family. Given the mission of this foundation and Rezuke’s relationship with its founders, it is easy to see why Rezuke was so eager to participate in this marathon. Not only was he able to be the youngest person to run in the Boston Marathon, but he was also doing so on behalf of a foundation that is special to him.
Rezuke plans to run more marathons in the future. “I definitely want to do more. The big six marathons are Tokyo, Berlin, London, Chicago, Boston, and New York. I definitely want to complete that because that’s a huge accomplishment for marathon runners.” Ultimately, Rezuke would like to compete in some Ironman competitions and push himself to see how well he can place.
Cross Country Women Secure Third at Big East; Men Finish Fifth
by The Cowl Editor on November 8, 2018
Friar Sports
By Scott Jarosz ’21
Sports Staff
The Providence College Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Teams recently traveled to Carmel, Indiana to compete in the 2018 Big East Championships. The event took place on Friday, October 26 and consisted of a women’s 6K race followed by a men’s 8K race. The Friars went up against strong competition, and the women’s team finished in third place overall and the men finished fifth.
The women’s third place finish is especially impressive given the strength of Big East competition. The most dominant women’s team in the Big East is Villanova University, who ranks at number eight overall on the NCAA Women’s Cross Country rankings.
The women finished with 76 points, just three points behind second-place Georgetown University who finished with 73 points. In first place was Villanova, who finished with 21 points and three runners in the top five. Leading the Friars was Abbey Wheeler ’20 who had a strong performance and finished fourth overall among the women.
Wheeler finished with an overall time of 20:35.3 and a mile pace of 5:32. In the Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) Mini Meet the previous week, Wheeler placed second, which was good enough to lead the Friars to first place as a team and earn Wheeler the honor of Big East Female Athlete of the Week.
The next-best finisher for the women was Regan Rome ’19G who finished the 6K with an overall time of 21:22.9 and a pace of 5:45.
The men did not have quite as much success as the women in the Big East Championship, finishing in the middle of the pack at fifth place out of nine teams. The men finished with 117 points in the 8K, the same overall point total as Marquette University, who finished in fourth place. The lead runner for the Friars in the 8K was Ryan Gallagher ’21. Gallagher led the Friars by finishing in 18th place overall with a time of 25:15 and a pace of 5:05. Gallagher’s solid performance at the Big East Championship came just a week after finishing in second place at the CCSU Mini Meet and leading PC to first place as a team. Gallagher also earned the honor of Big East Male Athlete of the Week as a result, meaning PC swept the Big East Athlete of the Week honors for that week.
Next up for the Friars is the NCAA Northeast Regional, which is scheduled to take place on Friday, November 9 at the Audobon Golf Course in Buffalo, New York. The Northeast Regional is one of nine NCAA Regionals and consists of a women’s 6K at 11 a.m. followed by a men’s 10K at 12 p.m.
The women won regionals last year and will be in contention to repeat and punch another ticket to the NCAA championship. The men are looking to improve from their 12th place finish.
In order to qualify for the NCAA Championship the following week, the Friars must either finish among the top two teams overall at the Northeast Regional or receive one of 13 at-large bids. The top 38 individual runners are also selected to compete in the NCAA Championship.
The women have been working all year to make it to their seventh straight NCAA appearance and have the talent to do so. While it may be a lot to expect a young men’s team to upset multiple teams in order to make to it to the championship, there is plenty of potential for the team to find themselves in front of the pack.
Providence College Investigates: Should PC Offer Student Season Tickets For Men’s Hockey
by The Cowl Editor on November 1, 2018
PCI
Current System Forces Attendance
By Scott Jarosz ’21
Sports Staff
There has been a lot of debate at Providence College over why students do not have the option to purchase a season ticket package for men’s ice hockey games. Currently, students who wish to attend games must purchase tickets for each game individually at price of $4. However, just a couple of years prior, students were able to reserve an individual seat at hockey games on the PC app at no charge.
While allowing students to attend hockey games for free may seem like it would attract more fans, what occurred was the opposite. Because students could reserve seats for free, they would often reserve their seat but not attend the game, as there were no consequences for not attending. The current frustration that students are having is not about having to pay for tickets, but rather not being able to buy season tickets. This raises the question: should students be able to purchase season tickets for men’s hockey?
The answer to this question is no—the current system that is being used for hockey tickets has worked well, and there is no real reason to change it. The main complaint that students have about the current system is that it is an inconvenience to have to enter credit card information and purchase a ticket for each game.
However, this is a minor downside to an otherwise great system for purchasing tickets. Beginning with pricing, $4 per game is a very low rate to pay to watch Division I hockey, especially when compared to the price the general public must pay. According to the PC Athletics website, the cost for an individual game ticket for non-students is $20. The website also notes that the price of season tickets for non-students is $250, which is far more than what a student would have to pay if they attend every game.
The current system also allows students to purchase tickets whenever they please. Students have the option to wait until the day of a game to decide if they want to purchase a ticket. This way, if students have a last-minute conflict, they will not have to waste money on a game they cannot attend.
Overall, the current system in place for purchasing hockey tickets works well. Students are able to decide on a game-by-game basis whether they wish to attend, and this leads to higher attendance and higher satisfaction.
Healthy Roster Shows Promise for Celtics’ New Season
by The Cowl Editor on October 25, 2018
Professional Sports
By Scott Jarosz ’21
Sports Staff
Over the course of the offseason prior to the 2017-18 NBA season, the Boston Celtics made some enormous additions to their roster that created a lot of buzz throughout their home city. In the 2017 NBA Draft, the Celtics selected former Duke University small forward Jayson Tatum as the third overall pick.
Next, Head Coach Brad Stevens and the Celtics signed Gordon Hayward, who had previously played with the Utah Jazz for seven straight seasons coming out of college. This signing was especially well-recieved as Hayward had previously played under Stevens at Butler University, where Stevens served as the head coach from 2007 to 2013 prior to joining the Celtics.
The next roster change, and arguably the biggest change the Celtics made, was a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers that sent Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder to Cleveland in exchange for star point guard Kyrie Irving. The drastic changes that the Celtics front office made during the offseason proved to be well worth it, as the Celtics finished with a 55-27 record and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals.
This season, the Celtics are looking to work off last year’s project and do even more damage. There is good reason to believe that the team will have even more success this year as the group continues to evolve, and as small forward Gordon Hayward makes his highly anticipated return after missing practically the entire 2017-18 season with a gruesome ankle injury.
At full strength, the 2018-19 Celtics are one of the most dangerous teams in the NBA. The team features some of the best young talent in the league with players like Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, and Terry Rozier, who are all recent college graduates. The Celtics also boast experienced players such as center Aron Baynes, power forwards Marcus Morris and Al Horford, and point guard Kyrie Irving, who is just 26-year-old but is regarded as one of the best point guards in the NBA.
Last season, Jayson Tatum was one of the most surprising rookies in the league. Tatum averaged 13.9 points per game (PPG) in the 2017-18 regular season. He impressed everyone throughout the league with his confidence and composure, which shined in the postseason. In the playoffs, Tatum averaged 18.5 PPG and recorded a season-high 28 points in game one of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Philadelphia 76ers. Tatum was not the only Celtics player that surprised people last year. Guard Terry Rozier stepped up and was a crucial player for the Celtics, especially after Kyrie Irving suffered an injury in March that sidelined him for the remainder of the regular season and postseason. In the playoffs, Rozier averaged 16.5 PPG and 5.7 assists per game. One of his most notable postseason performances also came in game one of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the 76ers when he netted 29 points. Rozier’s ability to step in and make big-game plays in Irving’s absence earned him a lot of respect from fans as well as the nickname “Scary Terry”.
The Celtics showed just a glimpse of what they are capable of last season. When taking into consideration that the Celtics were without Gordon Hayward for the entire season and Kyrie Irving for the postseason, what the team accomplished was quite impressive. Now at full force, the Celtics look to be one of the NBA’s best teams in the 2018-19 season.
Providence College Investigates
by The Cowl Editor on October 18, 2018
PCI
The Tampa Bay Lightning Will Finish This NHL Season With the Best Record
By Scott Jarosz ’21
Sports Staff
As of Oct. 4, the National Hockey League’s 82-game regular season is officially underway. The anticipation to see which team comes out on top in the 2018-19 season is high after an exciting 2018 Stanley Cup Finals that featured a team in its inaugural season for the first time since the 1967-68 season. Although it would have been historic for the Las Vegas Golden Knights to win the Stanley Cup in its first season, the Washington Capitals ultimately prevailed in the series 4-1.
These teams proved that they were among the best in the league this past season, but there is one team that has shown great promise in recent years and is likely to continue performing at a high level. That team is the Tampa Bay Lightning, who will have the best record in the NHL at the end of the 2018-19 season.
The Lightning’s 2017-18 season ended on a sour note after reaching the Eastern Conference Finals, but ultimately falling to the Capitals in Game 7 by a score of 4-0 on home ice. The Lightning finished with the best record in the 2017-18 NHL season, but the team is surely not content with the way the season came to an end. After the team’s unsatisfactory finish this past season, the Lightning looks to come back stronger than ever. All signs point to the Lightning having just as much success as last season, if not more. The team has depth in every position and has showed that it has a winning mentality.
The Lightning has all the components necessary to be the best team in the NHL. Starting at defense, Victor Hedman was awarded the James Norris Memorial Trophy last season for the best defenseman in the league. In addition, both Hedman and right-winger Nikita Kucherov were named to last season’s First Team All Stars. The Lightning has re-signed forward J.T. Miller, who was acquired at last year’s trade deadline from the New York Rangers. While with the Lightning, Miller played in 19 games, netting 10 goals and recording 18 points. Over the offseason, the Lightning also decided to sign defenseman Ryan McDonagh to a seven-year, $47 million contract extension.
With key pieces, such as captain and forward Steven Stamkos and goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy also remaining with the team, I predict the Tampa Bay Lightning will boast the NHL’s best record for the 2018-19 season.
Through four games this season, Tampa Bay is a-1-0 with a plus-six goal differential. Vasilevskiy has been the major key for the team’s success with a spectacular 1.67 goals against average.
Providence College Investigates
by The Cowl Editor on October 4, 2018
PCI
Patriots Fans Should Not Be Concerned With Their 2-2 Record
By Scott Jarosz ’21
Sports Staff
After narrowly coming out on top in its week one contest against the Houston Texans by a score of 27-20, the New England Patriots dropped their next two games, falling to an overall record of 1-2. This lackluster start sparked frustration and concern from the Patriots’ fan base, as its two losses came from beatable teams, the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Detroit Lions. The Jaguars beat the Patriots in Jacksonville by a score of 31-20, as Tom Brady and the Patriots never quite found their footing and were unable come back from an early 14-0 deficit.
The following weekend in Detroit, the Patriots did not come ready to play, and suffered an embarrassing 26-10 loss to a less than stellar Lions team. However, things changed in week four, as the Patriots took care of the previously undefeated Miami Dolphins with a score of 38-7. In this game, the Patriots looked like the team its fans are used to seeing, and that is why Patriots fans should not be concerned with the team’s slow start.
This is not the first time the Patriots have had a slow start to the regular season. This past season, the Patriots also started 2-2, and still went on to play in a Super Bowl. The Patriots are a different team this season, as Danny Amendola signed with the Dolphins in the offseason, and Julian Edelman is suspended for the first four regular season games. During this time, Tom Brady has struggled to connect with his other wide receivers, and tight end, Rob Gronkowski, has been largely overwhelmed by defenders who focus on him as the Patriots’ primary target. With the lack of a true wide receiver threat, the Patriots have resorted to ground game, which has not been too effective.
After losing back-to-back games in weeks two and three, Patriots fans were likely to be nervous and eager to see what would happen with their team in week four against the Dolphins. Fans were also excited to see newly signed wide receiver, Josh Gordon, make his debut in New England. The Patriots looked determined to hand the Dolphins their first loss of the season in the friendly confines of Gillette Stadium, and racked up 38 points and nearly shut out the visiting Dolphins. The Patriots were firing on all cylinders and hushed anyone who speculated that the Patriots would have a subpar season.
With the Patriots carrying momentum into the Oct. 4 game against the Indianapolis Colts and Edelman also returning to the field, fans have no reason to be concerned with the team’s 2-2 start.
Providence College Investigates
by The Cowl Editor on September 27, 2018
PCI
The Boston Red Sox Will Win the World Series
By Scott Jarosz ’21
Sports Staff
2018 has been a memorable year for America’s favorite pastime, and especially for Major League Baseball. Virtually every division in the National League is showing a tight race for the top spot. The Oakland Athletics continue to chase down the Houston Astros in the American League West as playoffs loom around the corner. There is one team, however, that has handily separated itself from the rest, and that team is the Boston Red Sox, who I predict will win the 2018 World Series.
Coming into the 2018 season with a brand-new manager, former MLB infielder Alex Cora, no one knew what to expect from the Red Sox. Cora had previously been a part of the Red Sox as a player from 2005-2008, and his only prior coaching experience was as a bench coach for the Houston Astros in 2017. Nonetheless, the Boston Red Sox offered Cora the position of manager after the Astros had just recently knocked the Red Sox out of the playoffs in the 2017 ALDS, and Cora accepted the offer, which lasts through 2020.
Despite a lack of previous experience as manager, Cora took the helm in Boston with confidence, and it has showed. The Red Sox have racked up 100 wins this season for the first time since 1946, and are still the only team to have reached 107 wins this season. The Red Sox clinched a playoff berth back on Sept. 11 with a win over the Toronto Blue Jays. On Sept. 20, they clinched the AL East title by beating the New York Yankees 11-6. As if this was not enough to cap off an incredible regular season, the Red Sox beat the Cleveland Indians on Sept. 21 to tie the franchise win record of 105 wins, which was set back in 1912.
While capturing the division title and tying the franchise win record are great accomplishments, one question remains: do the Red Sox have what it takes to be successful in the playoffs and ultimately bring a World Series title back to Boston? The Red Sox have one of the most dangerous lineups in all of baseball, led by the league’s batting average leader Mookie Betts, RBI leader J.D. Martinez, as well as shortstop Xander Bogaerts and leftfielder Andrew Benintendi, who have both proven to be integral parts of Boston’s lineup. The Red Sox also have a dominant starting rotation featuring Chris Sale, David Price, Rick Porcello, and Eduardo Rodriguez. If the Red Sox continue to play as they have since opening day and the bullpen is able to hold off playoff opponents late in games, the Boston Red Sox will be the 2018 World Series Champions.