Providence College Athletics
Athletic Department Holds 47th Annual All-Sports Gala
4/30/2008 12:00:00 AM | General
April 30, 2008
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Providence College honored its top athletes at the 47th annual Athletic Awards Banquet on Wednesday, April 30, 2008. The social hour and awards ceremony were held at the Smith Center for Performing Arts on the campus of Providence College in Providence, R.I.
Junior All-America and All-BIG EAST performer Danette Doetzel (Macklin, Saskachewan), was named the College's Female Athlete of the Year for Individual Sports. Doetzel competes on the Friars' cross country, indoor and outdoor track teams. Senior cross country and track athlete Ahmed Haji (West Hartford, Conn.), earned Male Athlete of the Year for Individual Sports for his performance after earning All-America and All-BIG EAST honors in his final season with the program. Senior field hockey player Abby Maguire (Southbury, Conn.), a three-time All-BIG EAST and NFHCA Division I All-Northeast Region honoree, was selected as the school's Female Athlete of the Year for Team Sports. Senior men's soccer All-American and All-BIG EAST performer Ryan Maduro (Bristol, R.I.) was named the school's Male Athlete of the Year for Team Sports for the second-straight time.
Along with the Athlete of the Year Awards, five other major awards were presented at the banquet. Senior Michalagh Stoddard (Norwood, Mass.), a member of the field hockey team, was the winner of the Paul Connolly Award as the female athlete who has distinguished herself among her peers through sportsmanship, courage and honor. Men's basketball player Charles Burch (Dorchester, Mass.), was named the winner of the Mal Brown Award. The Mal Brown Award is 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 senior men's lacrosse player Ben Johnston (Branford, Conn.) and senior women's tennis player Kate Lyons (Barrington, R.I.). Senior Kiley Morgart (Mountaintop, Pa.), a member of the Friar field hockey team, was the recipient of the Jane Thompson Award, which is presented to the male or female senior student-athlete, who personifies all that is good about being a student-athlete at Providence College and exhibits selflessness, dedication, loyalty, courage and perseverance.
Doetzel began the year with a stellar cross country season, in which she earned All-America, All-BIG EAST and All-Northeast Region recognition. She was the Friars' top finisher at the NCAA Championships (19th, 20:51.1) and BIG EAST Championship (3rd, 20:27.85). She also captured the NCAA Northeast Regional individual title with a first-place finish in a time of 20:28.00. At the conclusion of the cross country season she was tabbed as the USTFCCCA Division I Northeast Region Female Athlete of the Year. During the indoor track season, Doetzel claimed All-BIG EAST honors with a second-place finish in the 3,000 meter run (9:25.68), earned the ECAC Individual title in the 5,000 meters (16:16.23) and competed at the NCAA Indoor Track Championships in the 5,000 meters (13th, 16:36.04).
Haji earned All-America honors for the first time in his career at the 2007 NCAA Cross Country Championships as he led all Friar runners with a 38th-place overall finish (30:41.7). Haji also earned All-Northeast Region honors for cross country after completing the NCAA Northeast Region Championship with a 10th-place finish in a time of 30:14.95. During the indoor track season, Haji claimed the New England Championship Individual title in the 3,000 meters (8:17.19). He also won the individual title in the 5,000 meters at the ECAC Indoor Track Championships with a time of 14:02.84.
Maguire led the field hockey team to an impressive 14-8 overall record and a 4-2 mark in the BIG EAST Conference. For the second-straight year, the Friars finished the season ranked in the NFHCA Division I National Coaches' Poll (20th) and advanced to the BIG EAST Championship game. Individually, Maguire earned All-BIG EAST First-Team honors and was an NFHCA Divison I All-Northeast Region Second-Team honoree. Maguire earned All-BIG EAST and All-Northeast Region honors in three of her four seasons with the program. She also was named to the BIG EAST All-Tournament Team and the NFHCA Divison I Senior All-Star Game. In her final season, Maguire scored 18 points on eight goals and two assists. She finished her career at Providence ranked 10th all-time in scoring with 74 career points. She also ranks ninth all-time in goals (32).
Maduro, who became only the second Friar to be named to the NSCAA All-America First Team in 2006, enjoyed a career year in 2007. He finished tied for the team lead with a career-high five goals, while his six assists was a team best. In addition, he finished with four goals and five assists in BIG EAST Conference matches, which was tops on the squad. Maduro also led the team with four game-winning goals, including three in league play. He was named to the All-BIG EAST First Team on November 15 and is the only Friar ever to earn two First Team All-BIG EAST accolades. He also earned All-Northeast Region Second Team honors on December 12.
Stoddard, a member of the nationally-ranked field hockey team, is a two-time All-BIG EAST selection and NFHCA Divison I All-Northeast Region honoree. She also was named to the 2007 BIG EAST All-Tournament Team and has been recognized as a BIG EAST Academic All-Star during each of her four seasons with the Friars. Known as one of the top defenders regionally and in the BIG EAST, Stoddard had a break-out season offensively for PC as a senior. She led the team in scoring with a single-season career-high of 23 points on eight goals and seven assists. Three of her eight goals on the year were game winners.
Burch has had a steady four-year career at Providence. This season he served as one of the team captains, providing leadership on and off the court. In four years, he played in 97 games. He has battled significant injury throughout his career. He also helped the Friars qualify for the BIG EAST Tournament and the NIT during his career. He also earned the men's basketball team's Unsung Hero Award in 2008.
Johnston has played an important role on the men's lacrosse team in each of the last four seasons and has proven himself to be one of the top defenders in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). Typically called on to defend the top offensive player on the opposing team, Johnston has racked up 15 groundballs during the 2008 season and owns 66 in his career. During his tenure with the lacrosse team, he has helped guide the Friars to three MAAC Regular-Season league titles, two MAAC Tournament titles and two NCAA Tournament appearances. Recently, the Friars clinched a spot in the MAAC Tournament for the eighth-consecutive season and will look to bring home the program's third-straight title, and fourth overall.
Lyons recently completed her fourth season as a member of women's tennis team. She competed in 65 singles matches over the course of her career, compiling a 31-34 overall record, including a 6-1 mark in the No. 3 position. Lyons made her collegiate debut on September 11, 2004 at the Fairfield Doubles Festival, where she earned three doubles victories. Lyons also is an active member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council, where she held the position of Secretary during the 2007-08 academic year. Additionally, Lyons is a member of student congress.
Morgart, a midfielder on the Friars' nationally-ranked field hockey team, was a four-year winner of the program's "Golden Rule Award", a two-time NFHCA Division I National Academic Squad member and a four-time BIG EAST Academic All-Star. She appeared in the starting line-up in every game of her collegiate career (83 games) and was selected as a team captain as a senior. Aside from her steady play on the field, she also served as President of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council, helping to direct the athletic department's efforts in many aspects, including community service.
Players Mentioned
