Field Hockey Honored At BIG EAST Championship Banquet

Nov. 3, 2006

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The BIG EAST Conference announced the 2006 award winners for field hockey at the league's annual championship banquet on Friday, November 3 in Louisville, Ky. Providence College was well represented among the list of honorees. PC took home two of the four major awards on the night as fifth-year Head Coach Diane Madl was named BIG EAST Coach of the Year and freshman Rachel Chamberlain (Branford, Conn.) earned BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year.

In addition to Madl and Chamberlain's major awards, a total of five Friars were selected to the All-BIG EAST First and Second Teams. Senior midfielder/defender Lauren Sickel (Plaistow, N.H.) was one of six unanimous selections on the First Team. Sickel was joined by Chamberlain and junior defender Michalagh Stoddard (Norwood, Mass.) on the First Team. Senior Melissa McGow (Branford, Conn.) and junior Abby Maguire (Southbury, Conn.) were named to the All-BIG EAST Second Team. It marks the first time in program history that three Friars have been named to the First Team, and the Friar's five selections in all mark the second most in program history. In 1993, six Providence players earned All-BIG EAST honors (two First Team, four Second Team).

Madl becomes the first Friar head coach to earn Coach of the Year honors in field hockey, after guiding Providence to a 17-3 overall record and a 5-1 mark in regular-season conference play. In 2006, Providence enjoyed an 11-game improvement in the win column after suffering a 6-13 season in 2005. Prior to the start of the 2006 campaign, the Friars were picked to finish fifth in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll, but finished in a tie for first place, and earned a share of the regular-season title. The Friars are returning to the BIG EAST Field Hockey Championship for the first time since the 2000 season. The team's 17 victories overall are the most since 1990 and PC's five BIG EAST wins are a single-season record. In addition, Providence has been ranked in the STX/NFHCA Division I National Coaches' Poll for eight-consecutive weeks, reaching their highest ranking (11th) in the most recent poll released on Tuesday, October 31. Providence has been ranked among the top-15 each of the last six weeks. The Friars are 4-2 this season versus nationally ranked opponents, including a 2-1 mark versus teams in the top-10.

Chamberlain has been stellar for the Friars this season in the cage. She becomes the first PC player to earn BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year honors, and just the third player in program history to earn one of the league's major awards. In 1993, Cathy Guden was named Player of the Year. Former Friar Paula Wagoner earned BIG EAST Rookie of the Year honors in 1994 and Offensive Player of the Year honors in 1997. Chamberlain also is the first Friar goalkeeper to earn All-BIG EAST First-Team honors. She has logged 1,260 minutes in a total of 18 games for Providence en route to a 15-3 overall record and a 4-1 mark in the BIG EAST. She allowed just 19 goals in her 18 games and made 90 saves for a 1.06 goals against average and an .826 save percentage. She completed the regular-season schedule ranked first among all NCAA Division I goalkeepers in save percentage (.826) and seventh in goals against average (1.06). Seven of her 15 victories in the cage were shutouts, including two versus league opponents. In five BIG EAST games this season, she allowed six goals and made 28 saves for a 1.20 goals against average and an .824 save percentage.

In a tribute to Providence's strong defense, Chamberlain was joined on the First Team by Sickel and Stoddard. Sickel, who was a Second Team selection in 2004, makes her second-straight appearance on the First Team. She was a unanimous selection to the All-BIG EAST First Team in 2005 and 2006. Sickel finished the regular season with 12 points on four goals and four assists. Stoddard makes her first appearance as an All-BIG EAST selection on the First Team. She is one of four Friars to start each of PC's 20 games this season, and recorded the first points of her collegiate career (three) on one goal and one assist. Her assist came during a 6-0 victory against Monmouth on September 10. She scored her first collegiate goal in a 4-1 victory over New Hampshire on October 15.

McGow makes her second career appearance on the All-BIG EAST Second Team. She was a Second-Team selection in 2004 as a sophomore. This year, McGow leads Providence in scoring with 35 points on 10 goals and 15 assists. On October 13, she became the eighth player in program history to eclipse the 100-point milestone as she tallied two assists against BIG EAST foe Syracuse. For her career, she currently ranks sixth all-time in scoring with 111 points. She also ranks eighth all-time in goals scored, with 34, and second all-time in career assists, with 43. McGow is five assists shy of tying the program's all-time career assist record (48) set by Cami White `91. She is four assists shy of tying the single-season assist record at PC (19) set by Paula Wagoner `98. Maguire nets All-BIG EAST Second-Team honors for the second-straight season. Through 20 games, Maguire is third on the team in scoring with eight goals and two assists for 18 points. She has three game-winning goals on the season, including the goal which sealed Providence's victory over 9th-ranked Connecticut in the regular-season finale to help PC capture the BIG EAST regular-season title.

Providence, the No. 2 seed, begins play in the 2006 BIG EAST Field Hockey Championship on Saturday, November 4 against No. 3 seed Villanova in the first semifinal of the day at 11:00 a.m. No. 1 seed Louisville will face No. 4 seed Connecticut at 1:00 p.m. in the second semifinal. The winner of each semifinal game will advance to the BIG EAST Championship game on Sunday, November 5 at Noon. All games in the tournament will be played at Trager Stadium in Louisville, Ky. To view live video and live stats for each of the three tournament games, please visit the league's web site at www.bigeast.org.

2006 BIG EAST FIELD HOCKEY REGULAR-SEASON AWARDSOffensive Player of the Year - Jessica Javelet, Sr., LouisvilleDefensive Player of the Year - Jennifer Kleinhans, So., ConnecticutGoalkeeper of the Year - Rachel Chamberlain, Fr., ProvidenceCoach of the Year - Diane Madl, Providence
ALL-BIG EAST FIRST TEAMRachel Chamberlain, GK, ProvidenceMichelle Sola, D, Syracuse* Jennifer Kleinhans, D, ConnecticutMichalagh Stoddard, D, Providence* Jessica Javelet, M, LouisvilleAmy Lewis, M, Rutgers* Lizzy Peijs, M, Connecticut* Lauren Sickel, M, Providence* Lauren Aird, F, ConnecticutJanelle Avila, F, Louisville* Megan Foster, F, Villanova
* indicates unanimous selection
ALL-BIG EAST SECOND TEAMMarie-Claire Heller, GK, LouisvilleStephanie Campbell, D, VillanovaCourtney Shepstone, D, LouisvilleJessica Wreski, D, SyracuseMeagan Hoffmann, M, ConnecticutLauren Campanelli, M, VillanovaJen Kastelic, M, LouisvilleMelissa McGow, M, ProvidenceLisa Wasser, M, LouisvilleAllison Boris, F, VillanovaAbby Maguire, F, Providence

Completed Event: Field Hockey versus Georgetown on September 26, 2025 , Win , 2, to, 0

Completed Event: Field Hockey versus Hofstra on September 28, 2025 , Win , 3, to, 1

Completed Event: Field Hockey at Connecticut on October 3, 2025 , Loss , 1, to, 3

Completed Event: Field Hockey at Vermont on October 5, 2025 , Win , 2, to, 1 , (OT)

Completed Event: Field Hockey versus Quinnipiac on October 10, 2025 , Loss , 1, to, 2

Completed Event: Field Hockey versus Sacred Heart on October 12, 2025 , Win , 3, to, 1

Completed Event: Field Hockey at #7 Liberty on October 17, 2025 , Loss , 0, to, 2

Completed Event: Field Hockey at Villanova on October 24, 2025 , Loss , 2, to, 4

Completed Event: Field Hockey versus #19 Brown on October 26, 2025 , Loss , 1, to, 5

Completed Event: Field Hockey versus Temple on October 31, 2025 , Loss , 2, to, 3 , (OT)

Providence College Athletics

Field Hockey Honored At BIG EAST Championship Banquet

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