Providence College Athletics

Athletic Department Honors Top Athletes At Annual Awards Banquet

Athletic Department Honors Top Athletes At Annual Awards Banquet

More than 300 athletes from PC's 19 varsity sports attended the dinner.

April 30, 2003

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PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Providence College honored its top athletes at the 42nd annual Athletic Awards Banquet at the College's Peterson Recreation Center on Wednesday, April 30.

Track and cross country All-American Roisin McGettigan (Sr., Wicklow, Ireland) and two-time cross country All-American Adam Sutton (Sr., Preston, England) were honored as the College's Female and Male Athletes of the Year for Individual Sports. Kelli Halcisak (Jr., Grosse Ile, Mich.), an All-American and the team's leading scorer on the women's ice hockey squad, was selected as the school's Female Athlete of the Year for Team Sports. Ryan Gomes (So., Waterbury, Conn.), a Second Team All-BIG EAST honoree and the men's basketball team's leading scorer and rebounder, was the recipient of the Male Athlete of the Year Award for Team Sports.

Along with the Athlete of the Year Awards, four other major awards were presented at the banquet. Women's ice hockey player Jenn Butsch (Sr., Berlin, Vt.), an All-HOCKEY EAST selection, received the Paul Connolly Award as the female athlete who has distinguished herself among her peers through sportsmanship, courage and honor. Matt Berk (Sr., Glencoe, Ill.), a two-time MAAC All-Academic Team selection and captain of the lacrosse 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 Quo Non Awards, given annually to the male and female athletes who have distinguished themselves among their peers without receiving proper recognition, were presented to field hockey player Courtney Dow (Sr., Hampstead, N.H.) and men's basketball player Kareem Hayletts (Sr., Bergenfield, N.J.).

McGettigan becomes only the fifth female athlete at the College to win the Female Athlete of the Year Award more than once. Last year, McGettigan captured her first Female Athlete of Year honors. In 2002-03, she helped the cross country team to its highest finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championship since 1997, as the Friars placed sixth of 31 teams in November. McGettigan captured individual crowns at the New Hampshire Invitational (September 6) and the Dartmouth Invitational (September 14). She was the top finisher for the Friars in four of the seven cross country meets. During the indoor track season, McGettigan earned All-America honors for the second consecutive season as she finished fourth in the mile at the NCAA Championship on March 15. In addition, she was the BIG EAST 1,000-meter champion.

Sutton led the men's cross country team to a 13th-place finish at the NCAA Championship on November 25 in Terre Haute, Ind. He placed 27th overall to earn All-America honors for the second consecutive season. In addition, he captured the individual crowns at the BIG EAST Championship (November 1) and the New England Championship (October 11). At the BIG EAST Championship, Sutton's time of 23:33 was the second fastest ever run at Franklin Park for the BIG EAST Men's Championship. Sutton, a business management major who earned a 3.61 grade point average during the 2002 fall semester, was recently named to the 2002 U.S. Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic Team.

Halcisak, who helped lead her team to the inaugural women's HOCKEY EAST regular season and tournament titles, finished the 2002-03 season as the leading scorer for the women's ice hockey team with 14 goals and 31 assists for 45 points. Halcisak became the 24th player in the program's history to score more than 100 points in her collegiate career. She also was named the team MVP. Halcisak earned numerous accolades, including Second Team All-American, Patty Kazmaier Award nominee, First Team HOCKEY EAST All-Star, HOCKEY EAST Tournament MVP and All-Tournament Team, HOCKEY EAST Scoring Champion and New England Hockey Writers Association All-Star. Halcisak also was named HOCKEY EAST Player of the Month, HOCKEY EAST Player of the Week (twice) and United States College Hockey Online.com Player of the Week (twice).

Gomes, who earned Second Team All-BIG EAST, Second Team NABC District 1, Basketball Times All-Northeast and USBWA All-District 1 honors in 2002-03, produced impressive numbers this season. He led the Friars to an 18-14 mark and a third-place finish in the BIG EAST East Division. Providence advanced to the second round of the NIT before losing to Georgetown, 67-58, on March 24. Gomes was the Friars' top scorer (18.4 ppg) and rebounder (9.7 rpg) in 2002-03. He recorded 17 double-doubles in 32 games. Gomes also scored 20 or more points in a game 15 times this season. Also this season, he set a Providence record for most field goals by a forward with 213, a Providence sophomore record for free throw percentage at .844 and a Friar sophomore points record with 589.

Butsch finished her career with the Friars as the third leading scorer on the team with 17 goals and 18 assists for a total of 35 points. Butsch was the 23rd player in the program's history to score more than 100 points in her collegiate career finishing with 107. She earned the team's academic award this season with a 3.63 GPA. Butsch was named a First Team HOCKEY EAST All-Star and earned New England Hockey Writers All-Star Team accolades. She also earned HOCKEY EAST Player of the Month for November after tallying 14 points in nine games. In 2002, Butsch led the Friars to the ECAC Eastern League title. This season, she captained the team to the inaugural women's HOCKEY EAST regular season and tournament titles.

Berk, a two-time Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) All-Academic Team selection and team captain, has helped to anchor the defensive unit as a member of the Friar men's lacrosse team. In his four-year career, Berk has appeared in 53 games and registered 83 career groundballs and one assist. During the 2003 season, Berk helped to lead the Friars to one of their most celebrated seasons in the MAAC. PC finished in a tie for first place in the regular-season league standings, marking the highest finish in program history. The team will enter the MAAC Championship Tournament as the No. 2 seed. PC will face No. 3 seed St. Joseph's in the semifinals of the Tournament on Friday, May 2 in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Berk also serves as the President of the Student Athlete Advisory Board (SAAB), and is a student-athlete representative and liaison as a member of the athletic department's Board of Directors.

Dow, a two-time BIG EAST Academic All-Star, finished the 2002 field hockey season with six points on one goal and four assists. She also recorded a career-high two defensive saves. Dow finished her career at Providence with 24 points on eight goals and eight assists. She is an active member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Board (SAAB) and serves as the chairperson for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Hayletts, who joined the men's basketball team as a walk on in 1998, was awarded an athletic scholarship in August of 2002 by Head Coach Tim Welsh. This season, Hayletts served as a team captain and played in 31 of the team's 32 games. He is the first walk on in 20 years at Providence to earn significant playing time with the men's basketball team. Hayletts received the team's Unsung Hero Award three times in the last four years.

More than 300 athletes from PC's 19 varsity sports attended the dinner. Watches were presented to the graduating senior athletes.

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