Providence College Athletics
Athletic Department Honors Top Athletes At Annual Awards Banquet
5/2/2005 12:00:00 AM | General
May. 2, 2005
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Providence College honored its top athletes at the 44th annual Athletic Awards Banquet at the College's Peterson Recreation Center on Monday, May 2 in Providence, R.I.
Kim Smith (Sr. , Auckland, New Zealand), the 2004 NCAA Cross Country Individual Champion, was named the College's Female Athlete of the Year for Individual Sports for the second-consecutive year, while Martin Fagan (Jr., Mullingar, Ireland), the 2004 Individual New England Cross Country Champion earned Male Athlete of the Year honors for Individual Sports. Nicole Bartholomew (Sr., Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.), a stand-out pitcher for the softball team who holds numerous school records, was selected as the school's Female Athlete of the Year for Team Sports. Ryan Gomes (Sr., Waterbury, Conn.), a First-Team All-BIG EAST selection for the men's basketball team, was named Male Athlete of the Year for Team Sports for the third year in a row. He is first male athlete to earn this distinguished honor three times in a career at Providence.
Along with the Athlete of the Year Awards, five other major awards were presented at the banquet. Bartholomew also received the Paul Connolly Award as the female athlete who has distinguished herself among her peers through sportsmanship, courage and honor. Tuukka Kotti (Forssa, Finland), a starter on the men's basketball team, was honored as the Mal Brown Award winner given annually to the male athlete whose career of intercollegiate competition portrayed sportsmanship, courage and honor. The Sine Qua Non Awards, given annually to the male and female athletes who have distinguished themselves among their peers without receiving proper recognition, were presented to women's ice hockey player Rush Zimmerman (Sr., Grosse Pointe, Mich.) and men's ice hockey player Jeff Mason (Sr., Easthampton, Mass). Senior field hockey player Melissa Kroslak (Sr., Hopkinton, Mass.) was the first-ever recipient of the Jane Thompson Award in memory of Jane Thompson '99. A new addition to the All-Sports Banquet, the award is presented to the male or female senior student-athlete, who through the course of their career at PC, sets themselves apart from their fellow student-athletes in areas of public/community service and outreach to others.
Smith led the Providence College women's cross country team to a third-place finish at the 2004 NCAA Championships on November 22 in Terre Haute, Indiana. Smith captured the individual title, running a time of 20:09, 17 seconds faster than her closest competitor. She became the first female in Providence College history to win the NCAA cross country title, and just the second runner all-time at PC to accomplish the feat. Keith Kelly '02 won PC's only other NCAA individual title in cross country on November 20, 2000 in Ames, Iowa. In addition to winning the NCAA crown, Smith also finished first at the BIG EAST Championships and the NCAA Northeast Regional Championships. For her efforts, she received the prestigious Honda-Broderick Award for cross country. Smith, a five-time All-American, ended her career at Providence as one of the most decorated athletes at the school. Last season, she captured three NCAA track championships and set NCAA records in the indoor 3,000 and 5,000 meters as well as the outdoor 5,000 meters.
Fagan enjoyed a strong season as he helped lead the men's cross country team to its 10th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Championships. Fagan recorded four top-10 finishes, including first-place at the New England Championships on October 8. Fagan's finish helped the Friars claim their 24th New England title, including their eighth in the last 10 seasons under Head Coach Ray Treacy. Fagan also placed fourth at the BIG EAST Championships, sixth at the NCAA Northeast Regional Championships and was the top Friar finisher at the NCAA's as he placed 33rd. After red-shirting the indoor track season, Fagan is currently competing in outdoor track. He has qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track Championships after running a time of 28:59.89 in the 10,000 meters at the Mount Sac Relays on April 15. He also has qualified for the NCAA Regionals in the 5,000 meters.
Bartholomew guided the softball team to 33-20 overall record, marking the first time since 1994-95 that the Friars have posted over 30 wins in consecutive seasons. She led the team in innings pitched (178.1), complete games (21), shutouts (9) and strikeouts (192). Bartholomew, who posted a 16-11 record this season, set numerous single season and career records in 2005. She tied a single-season school record with nine shutouts in 2005 and her 192 strikeouts shattered the previous mark of 155. Bartholomew also holds the school record for no-hitters (two), perfect games (one) and strikeouts (559).
Gomes became just the second Friar ever to lead the BIG EAST in scoring as he averaged 23.2 points per game in league action in 2005. He also led the BIG EAST in scoring overall, recording a 21.6 points per game average. Additionally, Gomes finished fifth in the league in rebounds with 8.2 per contest, and posted 40 double-doubles during his career, including six this season. He also scored 20 or more points in 20 of the team's 31 games. Gomes registered a career-high 37 points versus Connecticut on February 15. It was one of three games this season in which he scored 30 or more points. Gomes surpassed Friar great Jimmy Walker as the College's all-time leading scorer, finishing his career with 2,138 points. He also had 1,028 career rebounds, which ranks fifth all-time at PC. He became the first Friar ever to surpass 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. For his efforts, he was named First Team All-BIG EAST and Associated Press Honorable Mention All-America. Gomes, a nine-time All-American, is the first Friar to earn two First Team All-BIG EAST honors. He also earned the team's Jimmy Walker Most Valuable Player Award for the third consecutive season. He joins Ernie DiGregorio as the only other Friar to earn the honor three times.
Kotti played in 96 consecutive games over the last three years for the Friars. This season, he started all 31 games and finished second on the team in rebounding (5.8 rpg) and tied for third in blocked shots (28). Kotti also registered 40 steals. He also was one of the team's most consistent scorers, averaging 9.9 points per game in 2005. In 116 career games at Providence, Kotti averaged 6.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.
Zimmerman, the team's second leading scorer with 57 points (26 goals, 31 assists) earned HOCKEY EAST/ITECH "Three Stars" Award and her third straight HOCKEY EAST All-Star selection in 2005. In four seasons, Zimmerman helped lead the Friars to one ECAC Eastern Tournament title (2002), three HOCKEY EAST Tournament titles (2003, 2004 and 2005), two HOCKEY EAST regular season titles (2003 and 2005) and one NCAA berth (2005). She ended her four-year stint at Providence in ninth place on PC's career points list with 162. Zimmerman, the 2005 HOCKEY EAST Tournament MVP, also was named to the New England Hockey Writers Division I All-Star Team and was named the Rhode Island Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (R.I.A.I.A.W.) Distinguished Student-Athlete of the Year.
Mason captained the men's ice hockey team during the 2004-05 season. He played in all 37 games as both a forward and a defenseman. Mason posted six assists this season and led the team with a plus/minus rating of +9. At the team's annual awards banquet on April 14, the quiet leader earned three awards, including the Ron Wilson Best Defensive Player Award.
Kroslak, helped guide the Friar field hockey team to a 10-10 record in 2004. A team captain, Kroslak started all 20 games for PC at midfield and scored one goal. Over the course of her career, she was named to the BIG EAST Academic All-Star team three times and is on pace to earn the honor for a fourth-consecutive year. Four years ago, Kroslak started working at the Michael Carter Lisnow Respite Center, which is a place that provides emotional and physical support for children with disabilities. During her time at the Respite Center, she developed a program that gives others in the community an opportunity to understand and embrace children with disabilities. Kroslak also is involved as a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Board.
More than 300 athletes from PC's 19 varsity sports attended the dinner.
Players Mentioned
