Providence College Athletics
Bob's Blog
5/22/2009 12:00:00 AM | General
April 30, 2009
Friar Fans,
The school year is coming to an end. An official sign of the year coming to a close is our Annual All-Sport Gala. This gala is a wrap-up for all our varsity athletic teams here at Providence College. It was held on Monday at the Smith Center for Performing Arts.
The evening opened with a speech from senior swimmer Christine Bonagura. Christine did a great job recapping her four years at the college and the emotions that many of the seniors have felt as they enter their final days at the college.
This year, we honored many talented athletes with many special awards that were voted on by our head coaches and administration.
Kyle Laughlin (men's ice hockey) and Geoff McDermott (men's basketball) were the recipients of the Mal Brown award. The Mal Brown Award was established in 1940 in memory of Malcom H. Brown. This award is the oldest athletic accolade presented at Providence College and is given to a graduating male senior whose athletic career in intercollegiate competition portrayed to a marked degree the qualities personified by Mal Brown: Sportsmanship, Courage and Honor.
The Paul Connolly Award was rewarded to Sara Sheehan (women's volleyball). This award was established in 1977 in memory of Paul Connolly, Providence College's former Director of Alumni Development and Public Information. The award is presented to a senior female athlete who has distinguished herself among her peers and whose athletic career in intercollegiate competition portrayed Sportsmanship, Courage and Honor.
The Sine Qua Non Awards were established by the Newport Area Alumni Club. The award is given yearly to both a male and female graduating senior who has distinguished him or herself among his or her peers without receiving proper recognition. The award seeks to acknowledge those students who have not been adequately acknowledged during their careers. Meghan Holden (field hockey) and Jon Kale (men's basketball) were the 2009 recipients of this award.
Ali Kornfeld (field hockey) took home the Jane Thompson Award. This award is given in memory of Jane Thompson Class of '99. It is presented to the male or female senior student-athlete through the course of their career at PC, sets themselves apart from their fellow student-athletes in the areas of public/community service and outreach to others.
The highest and most prestigious awards that can be bestowed upon an athlete at Providence College is the Athlete of the Year Award. This award is presented to a male and female athlete who have performed and excelled in their sports. Our individual sports winners were Danette Doetzel (Track/CC) and David McCarthy (Track/CC). Our team sports winners were Nellie Poulin (field hockey) and Weyinmi Efejuku (men's basketball).
Congratulations to all of these hardworking and talented athletes.
Although the year is almost at an end, many of our sports teams are still battling in the post-season. Our men's lacrosse team qualified for the MAAC tournament for the ninth-consecutive year. They will be traveling to Buffalo, New York to play Siena on Friday. The winner of the tournament will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
We are still working hard in preparation for the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament coming to Providence in 2010! We have had an overwhelming response about the Tournament and hope that the excitement only grows as the Tournament gets closer.
Our softball team is making a run for the BIG EAST Tournament. The tournament will be held in Louisville, KY, on May 7-9.
Our track team is also competing for post-season honors. Many of our athletes have qualified for Regionals in Greensboro, NC on May 29-30. With a good finish at Regionals, athletes can then qualify for the NCAA Championships in Fayetteville, AK on June 10-13.
Go Friars!
Players Mentioned
