Providence College Athletics
Providence College Holds 49th Annual All-Sports Gala
4/26/2010 12:00:00 AM | General
Photo Gallery April 26, 2010
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Providence College honored its top athletes at the 49th annual All-Sports Gala on Monday, April 26, 2010. 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.
Senior women's basketball player Chelsea Marandola (Johnston, R.I.) and senior field hockey player Nellie Poulin (Oakland, Maine) were co-recipients of the Female Athlete of the Year Award for Team Sports. Marandola, a Rhode Island native, helped propel the women's basketball program to its first post-season appearance since 1992 and became the first Friar to earn All-BIG EAST First-Team honors since 1994. Poulin, who also earned Female Athlete of the Year honors as a junior, earned All-America recognition for the second-straight season and All-BIG EAST First-Team honors for the third year in a row. Freshman Shelby Greany (Suffern, N.Y.) was named the College's Female Athlete of the Year for Individual Sports after a solid cross country and track campaign with the Friars. Greany was an All-BIG EAST and All-Northeast Region performer in cross country and won an individual ECAC Championship in the 3,000 meters during the indoor track season.
Senior men's basketball player Sharaud Curry (Gainesville, Ga.) was named the school's Male Athlete of the Year for Team Sports. Curry finished second on the team in scoring and assists this season with averages of 15.5 points and 3.4 assists per game. Sophomore cross country athlete Lee Carey (Bedworth, England) earned Male Athlete of the Year for Individual Sports after earning All-BIG EAST and All-Northeast Region honors in cross country.
Along with the Athlete of the Year Awards, five other major awards were presented at the banquet. Marandola took home her second honor of the evening as winner of the Paul Connolly Award. The accolade is given to the female athlete who has distinguished herself among her peers through sportsmanship, courage and honor. Senior men's basketball player Ray Hall (Denver, Colo.) was honored as a recipient 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 soccer player Justin Kahle (Oceanport, N.J.) and senior softball player Katelyn Revens (Warwick, R.I.). Senior Emily Cournoyer (North Attleboro, Mass.), a member of the women's basketball 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.
Marandola, closes her illustrious career at Providence as co-recipient of the Female Athlete of the Year for Team Sports and winner of the Paul Connolly Award. Marandola has helped to resurrect the women's basketball program at Providence and leaves as one of the greatest players all-time. This season, she led the Friars in scoring (18.0 ppg), assists (2.4 apg), steals (1.9 spg) and finished second on the team in rebounding (5.0 rpg). She became the first Friar since 1994 to earn All-BIG EAST First-Team honors. She was previously named to the All-BIG EAST Second Team in 2007. The fifth-year senior arrived on campus to join Head Coach Phil Seymore during his first season at the helm in 2005-06. The year before, Providence recorded just one victory and had sustained back-to-back winless seasons in BIG EAST Conference play. Marandola helped spark the program's impressive turnaround. This season, Providence posted a 19-15 overall record and advanced to the Quarterfinal Round of the WNIT after earning victories over Boston University, Old Dominion and Maryland. Marandola completed her career ranked third on Providence's all-time scoring list with 1,795 points. She scored in double figures 99 times in 119 career games. She also ranks 16th in career rebounding (651). During the 2009-10 season, Marandola was named BIG EAST Player of the Week on December 7 and was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on three different occasions.
Poulin is a two-time winner of the Female Athlete of the Year Award for Team Sports. As a member of the Providence College field hockey team, Poulin earned All-America honors for the second-consecutive season, while also taking home All-BIG EAST First-Team recognition for a third-straight season. Poulin is one of nine players to earn All-America honors in the program's 34-year history, but just the fourth player to earn All-America status multiple times as a member of the First, Second or Third Team. Additionally, she joins former Friar great Paula Wagoner `98 as the only players in program history to earn All-BIG EAST First-Team honors three times during their careers. Poulin finished the 2009 campaign with 30 points on 14 goals and two assists. She notched the first hat trick of her career, including the game-winning goal in a 4-3 victory over regional foe New Hampshire. She finished her career at Providence ranked fourth in career goals (49) and seventh all-time in career scoring (110 points).
Greany excelled in her first year at Providence College. She became the first freshman to be named Athlete of the Year for an individual sport since the award was separated into individual and team awards in 1992. She immediately established herself as a force in cross country, taking first place in her first meet at PC. Greany continued to perform well as the cross country season progressed as earned All-BIG EAST honors, placing ninth overall and first among all freshmen at the BIG EAST Championships in Milwaukee, Wis. on October 31. The success continued with a second-place finish at the NCAA Northeast Regional Championships in Boston, Mass. on Saturday, November 14. The freshman standout placed 89th at the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Ind. Additionally, she won gold at the 2010 U.S. Junior Cross Country Championships in Spokane, Wash. on February 13. For her extraordinary performance, she was chosen as captain of the U.S. team that competed at the World Junior Cross Country Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland on March 26. Greany placed 29th out of 95 competitors and finished second among all U.S. runners. During the track seasons, she placed fifth in the 3,000 meters at the BIG EAST Indoor Track and Field Championships on February 20 and was victorious in the 3,000 meters at the ECAC Championships in Boston, Mass. on March 6. Greany went on to run the 10th-fastest time in the nation (season) in the 3,000 meter steeplechase at the Brown Outdoor Invitational on April 10.
Curry had his top season as a Friar in 2009-10 for the men's basketball team. The senior guard finished second on the team in scoring (15.5 ppg), second in assists (3.4 apg) and led the Friars in free-throw shooting, recording a team best 87.7 percent mark from the line. More impressively, he will graduate as the Friars' all-time leader in free-throw percentage at 87.4 percent. Curry is the only player in PC history to lead the team in free-throw shooting in each of his four seasons. He also leaves Smith Hill ranked 10th all-time in scoring at PC, after registering 1,606 points in 119 games. He is one of only 13 players to score more than 1,500 points all-time at Providence. Curry also ranks second all-time at Providence in three-point field goals made with 207. Curry's numbers this season were better in league play for the second consecutive year as he averaged 17.3 points and shot an impressive 41.7 percent (40-96) from three-point territory. He also led the BIG EAST in free-throw percentage at 87.6 percent in 18 league games.
Carey had an impressive sophomore season with the men's cross country team. Carey had standout performances in the team's biggest races of the season. At the Notre Dame Invitational on October 2, Carey finished the 8K course in 23:50 to lead all PC runners and place fourth out of 179 competitors. His performance led Providence to a second-place finish out of 23 teams. Carey went on to earn All-BIG EAST honors, finishing ninth at the BIG EAST Championships in Milwaukee, Wis. on October 31. He continued his impressive stretch with a second-place finish at the NCAA Northeast Regional Championships in Boston, Mass. His effort helped lead PC to a third-place finish out of 36 teams. Carey finished his sophomore campaign at the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Ind. where he led all Providence College runners and place 52 out of 250 competitors.
Hall overcame a significant injury to play for the men's basketball team in 2009-10. During the summer between his sophomore and junior seasons, he was diagnosed with a leg injury that was believed to be career ending. Hall refused to accept that his career at Providence College was over. He stayed with the team his junior year, supporting the squad from the sidelines. In the summer of 2009, Hall had surgery in Colorado to correct his injury. He returned to Providence College for his senior season and began the process of rehabilitation so he would be able to contribute to the team. Hall saw action in 11 games, scoring 13 points and grabbing 12 rebounds this season.
Kahle played every minute of every game in his four seasons at Providence College. In all, he played in 78-consecutive games. Kahle helped the Friars to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances (2006, 2007) and two trips to the BIG EAST Championship semifinals (2006, 2009). As a defender, Kahle finished his career with two goals and eight assists for 12 points. During the 2009 season, Kahle helped the Friars reach the BIG EAST Championship semifinals and he was named to the All-Tournament Team. During its run to the semifinals, Providence posted a 2-1 win at Villanova in the first round and then recorded a 1-0 overtime victory at No. 8 Connecticut in the quarterfinals.
Revens, who is Providence College's all-time leader in stolen bases with 61, currently ranks fourth on the team with a .279 batting average and is tops on the squad in stolen bases and walks. On February 5, 2010, Revens was named a 2009-10 BIG EAST Institutional Female Scholar Athlete of the Year and became the first PC softball player to earn the honor. Revens also was the recipient of the Helen Bert Award, which is given to a female senior varsity student-athlete who has achieved an outstanding level of performance in academics and athletics during her undergraduate career.
Cournoyer, a team captain, started each of the Friars' 34 games this season and was part of a senior class that resurrected the women's basketball program at Providence, leading PC to its first post-season appearance since 1992. Cournoyer averaged 8.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.0 blocked shots per game. She posted a career-high 25 points against Quinnipiac on November 24 and notched the fifth double-double of her career against Saint Joseph's on November 15 with 15 points and 14 rebounds. A steady presence for the Friars, she recorded double digits in 13 of Providence's 34 games, including three of the Friars' four WNIT games. In 122 career games, she scored 986 points and hauled in 561 rebounds. Cournoyer also provided a defensive presence inside the paint, posting 30+ blocked shots in each of the last three seasons and finished her career with 145 rejections.
Players Mentioned
