Tag: Thomas Zinzarella ’21
Softball Plays Tough Against the Pirates
by The Cowl Editor on April 12, 2018
Friar Sports
Two Friars Make Big East Honor Roll
By Thomas Zinzarella ’21
Sports Staff
This past week, while most of the student body was focused on the Masters Tournament, the Friars were taking the field for their series matchup with the Seton Hall University Pirates.
The Friars started their weekend series with a doubleheader on Friday, where they split both games with Seton Hall. The Friars took the first game 8-6, but the Pirates roared back to win the second with a score of 7-6. The Pirates would win the series with a 3-2 walk-off victory on Saturday.
In game one, the Friars offense was led by Julianne Rurka ’18, who was most recently named to the Big East Honor Roll for the week of March 25. During that week, she hit .250 while driving in four runs. In Friday’s victory, Rurka recorded a 3-3 day while scoring twice. Rurka, who has caught fire at the plate recently, was named All-Big East Second Team last year ranking fourth in the Big East in average (.388) and RBI (21) during conference play.
On the mound, the Friars received a solid outing from Christina Ramirez ’18. Ramirez, who has strung together a collection of strong performances, earned a spot on the Big East Honor Roll for the week of April second. Ramirez threw six and one-third innings, only allowing one earned run in a win on the road versus Creighton.
Against Seton Hall, Ramirez earned her fourth win of the year, throwing a complete game while allowing eight hits and striking out four. Ramirez is having her most dominant season to this point. She has a career-low ERA of 3.25 in 69 innings while also tallying six complete games and one shutout so far in the 2018 campaign. She is currently ranked ninth in the Big East in ERA.
Game two featured Miranda Trinidad ’20 on the mound. Trinidad was also named to the Big East Honor Roll during the week of March 25 for her dominant pitching performance against Georgetown University. Trinidad threw 11 innings and held a 1.27 ERA while only allowing six hits and two runs during the series. The sophomore threw a complete game against the Hoyas on March 24, only allowing one earned run on three hits. Trinidad owns the team’s lowest earned run average with a 3.07 ERA in 59 1/3 innings pitched while throwing six complete games and is currently eighth in the Big East in ERA.
The Friars offense had contributions from multiple players with Emma Lee ’19 going 3-4 with three runs, and Brittney Veler ’18 adding two hits while driving in a run and scoring. The Friars came up just short after taking the lead in the top of the seventh. The Pirates walked it off in the 7-6 victory in the bottom ladder of the seventh.
In the final game of the three-game series, Megan McCune ‘19 took the rubber. McCune was able to keep the Pirate hitters off balance by throwing five innings while only allowing two runs on four hits. Seton Hall scored two in the bottom half of the fifth but the Friars answered right back with Mackensie Compton ’20 hitting a two-run home run. The Pirates were able to squeeze by again with a walk-off single in the 3-2 victory for the Pirates.
The Friars finished the series with a 4-4 record in Big East Conference play and 7-21 in total. The Friars look to bounce back against Villanova University at home on Friday, April 13.
The Cowl Makes Its Pick
by The Cowl Editor on March 15, 2018
Friar Sports
by Jack Belanger ’21
Sports Co-Editor
Members of the Sports staff put their brains together to come up with the official 2018 March Madness Bracket for The Cowl. Thanks to Sam Scanlon ’19, Sullivan Burgess ’20, Thomas Zinzarella ’21 for helping contribute. Here is breakdown of each region, semifinals, and the championship.
South Region:
The University of Arizona looks poised to be the team to make it out of a tough South region. DeAndre Ayton is one of the best players in the country, averaging 20.3 points per game and 11.5 rebounds per game. Junior guard Allonzo Trier has been a great second option for this team all year, despite missing time for a failed drug test, averaging 18.4 points per game. This team has enough firepower to take down an inconsistent University of Kentucky Wildcats team and beat out University of Virginia, which has only scored 67.5 points per game as a team.
Loyola University Chicago is our Cinderella team in this region. This team was one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the country all year, shooting 39.8 percent behind the line, which makes them the 20th best in the country. The University of Miami is not a great defensive team, which could spell disaster for them early in the tournament.
Despite having a veteran coach in Rick Barnes, the University of Tennessee has not been to the tournament in four years, leaving the Volunteers inexperienced and suseptible to an underdog team like Loyola.
West Region:
It would not be a Providence College bracket without showing some love to the Friars. Kyron Cartwright ’18 was playing his best during the Big East Tournament. PC has a good chance of beating Texas A&M University and is certainly capable of pulling an upset over the University of North Carolina and winning in a rematch over the University of Houston (who will pull off their own upset over University of Michigan).
Ultimately, Gonzaga University is our pick to come out of the West. Coach Mark Few made it to the finals last year and knows what it takes to return to the Final Four. Gonzaga has six players who average over nine points per game currently, led by senior Johnathan Williams who is averaging 13.5 points per game.
East Region:
Despite many picking Villanova University as a favorite to win the whole tournament, PC would be much happier to see ’Nova lose in the Elite Eight. Purdue University is a solid choice to come out of a weak East Region. The Boilermakers shot 42 percent from the 3-point line which was second in the country. They can also beat teams underneath the hoop with two players in the rotation over seven feet tall in Isaac Haas and Matt Haarms.
Stephen F. Austin State University played tough in each of their last two tournament apperances and that should hold true again. The Lumberjacks force many turnovers and have a deep rotation. While Texas Tech University plays great defense, Stephen F. Austin has too many weapons to slow down. The Lumberjacks are another Cinderella team that can make it to the Sweet Sixteen as they will have an opportunity to play one of the last teams in between St. Bonaventure University and the University California, Los Angeles, who will upset an inconsistent University of Florida team.
Midwest Region:
Michigan State is not only our pick to win the Midwest region but also the whole tournament. The Spartans have two of the best players in the country in forwards, Miles Bridges and Jaren Jackson Jr., and one of the most respected coaches in Tom Izzo. Michigan State should have no issue making it to a Sweet Sixteen matchup versus Duke University where they could win in a close game.
Auburn University is a team that could easily lose their first round game if they are not careful, but they force enough turnovers and can get hot shooting to beat a better team like the University of Kansas.
Clemson University has not been the same since losing their best player, Donte Grantham, for the season due to injury. New Mexico State University has a player in Zach Lofton who has the ability to lead an upset. Lofton has averaged 19.8 points per game for the season, while the entire team plays tough defense.
Final Four Semifinals:
While Arizona has the better player in Ayton, Gonzaga has a more depth with a stronger bench and the motivation to get back to finals. Arizona has struggled playing defense all year and Gonzaga has too many scorers who shoot and take the ball to the rim.
In a matchup between two Big Ten powerhouses, Michigan State and Purdue face each other in a rematch that saw the Spartans beat the Boilermakers 68-65 back in February. Expect a smiliar result as Michigan State continues to ride with more talent.
Finals:
In a year where no team has stood head and shoulders above anyone else, choosing the finals was definitely not an unanimous choice. Both Gonzaga and Michigan State play well on both ends of the court and boast versatile players who can contribute in multiple ways. Few and Izzo are two of the best coaches in college basketball and certainly both teams will be prepared to compete. That being said, the combination of Bridges and Jackson will end up being the deciding factor and ultimately give the edge to the Spartans.
PC Competes at Big East Championship
by The Cowl Editor on March 1, 2018
Friar Sports
Plenty of Highlights for PC Track and Field
by Thomas Zinzarella ’21
Sports Staff
Although the weather cooled down this past weekend, things were heating up at the Big East Indoor Track & Field Championship in Staten Island, New York. While neither the Providence College Men’s or Women’s Track and Field Teams came away with a trophy, there were many positives to be taken away from both teams.
With a relatively young men’s team, many freshmen got to experience their first Big East Championship. Michael Bittner ’21 felt “a little nervous warming up…it was a different feel from high school where you were the best and now there are guys who are better than you.” Bittner went on to have his best performance of the season with a fifth place finish in the men’s High Jump. Fellow Friar Trevor Crawley ’18 GS finished seventh in a highly contested Men’s 3,000-meter race and Michael O’Leary ’19 finished sixth in the one-mile event with a time of 4:11.97.
The high point of the day for the Friars was the 4×800 meter relay team featuring O’Leary, Nick Carleo ’19, Jack Carleo ’21 and Ryan Jendzejec ’21. The PC, Villanova University, and Georgetown University teams were all neck and neck until the final lap, when all three teams began to separate, leaving the Friars in third. The team featured the Carleo brothers, who have not been on the same team since they were both in high school. When asked how it felt to be reunited, Jack said, “It’s a good feeling being on the same team with Nick again because not many people get to run with a family member for this long, being on the same relay team with him again is awesome.”
The Friars look to continue their freshman surge into the springtime for the outdoor season, as Angus White ’21, Ryan Gallagher, Marcelo Rocha ’21, Henry Spangler ’21, and David Rosas ’21 rejoin for the spring season.
With talent carrying over from the indoor season, the sky is the limit for the next four years. Bittner and Carleo are hoping that the team can capture a Big East Championship and add to the storied history of the Track & Field Program at PC.
On the women’s side, the Friars were led from the top down by Millie Paladino ’18, who won the 3,000-meter with a time of 9:18.45. Paladino won the one-mile event last year and became the sixth woman to win both the 3,000-meter and the one mile event in Big East history.
The Friars would continue to shine in the 5,000-meter event as the Friars went 1-2 with Catarina Rocha ’18 GS leading the way with a time of 16:05.85, while Abbey Wheeler ’20 finished just behind her with a time of 16:07.39. Rocha netted her first Big East indoor title, and her third title overall.
The Friars also added a top three finish in the distance medley race with Paladino leading the charge once again. She teamed up with Mariah O’Gara ’20, Alexandra DeCicco ’20, and Maria Coffin ’21. The group was able to churn in a third-place finish in a heated battle with a time of 11:40.86.
Both squads look to try and build on the winter season and are preparing for their next event, the Eastern College Athletic Conference Championships on March 2-3.