Providence College Athletics


Paula Wagoner earns Female
Athlete of the Year for Team Sports.

 

Providence College Honors Top Athletes

Friars hold 37th annual Athletic Awards Banquet.

May 4, 1998

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Providence College honored its top athletes at the 37th annual Athletic Awards Banquet at the College's Peterson Recreation Center on Monday, May 4.

Ten-time cross country and track All-American Marie McMahon (Sr., Ennistymon, Ireland) and men's tennis player Dylan Williams (Sr., Middlesex, England) were honored as the College's Female and Male Athletes of the Year for Individual Sports. Paula Wagoner (Sr., Toledo, Ohio), who earned Second Team All-America accolades in field hockey, was selected as the school's Female Athlete of the Year for Team Sports. Scott Friedholm (Sr., Walpole, Mass.), one of the top catchers in PC baseball history who has led the team to the BIG EAST Tournament this season, was honored as Male Athlete of the Year.

Along with Athlete of the Year Awards, four other major awards were presented at the banquet. Four-time cross country and track All-American Maria McCambridge (Sr., Dublin, Ireland) received the Paul Connolly Award as the female athlete who has distinguished herself among her peers through sportsmanship, courage and honor. Juan Acevedo (Sr., Belmont, Mass.), a four-year starter on the soccer 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, give annually to the male and female athletes who have distinquished themselves among their peers without receiving proper recognition, were presented to baseball standout Mike Pandolfo (Sr., Westbrook, Conn.) and softball captain Erin Quaglia (Sr., Edison, N.J.).

McMahon, who received the Female Athlete of the Year Award in 1996 and 1997, becomes the first three-time winner of the award. McMahon placed second in the 5,000 meters and earned her 10th All-America accolade at the NCAA Indoor Track Championship in March. With 10 All-America honors, she is tied with Amy Rudolph for the most All-America accolades earned by an athlete at Providence College. Also this year, she won the 3,000 and 5,000 meter titles at the BIG EAST Indoor and Outdoor Track Championships. With these titles she was named BIG EAST Indoor and Outdoor Championship Outstanding Track Performer, becoming the first PC runner to earn two Outstanding Track Performer honors. In April, McMahon won her second 5,000 meter title at the prestigious Penn Relays.

Williams finished the season with a 21-9 mark, playing in the tennis team's No. 1 singles spot. In April, he helped lead the Friars to the their third consecutive third-place finish at the BIG EAST Championship. In four seasons at Providence, he posted an 81-33 record and finished sixth all-time in wins at the College. Williams also has excelled in the classroom, this spring he received the Joseph V. McAndrew Award as the PC graduating student-athlete with the top G.P.A.

Wagoner was a three-time First Team All-BIG EAST member and was chosen as the 1998 BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year. Named Second Team All-America as a senior, Wagoner broke the single season assist mark in her senior year as she tallied 19 assists. A four-year starter and captain as a senior, the Education major will graduate in the top five of nearly every major offensive and defensive statistical category.

Friedholm, one of the Friars team captains, has led the Providence College baseball team back to the BIG EAST Tournament after a year's absence. The Friars are 29-20-1 overall and 14-8-1 in BIG EAST play. A standout catcher, Friedholm leads the Friars in hitting with a .404 average and this season has set the PC career record for doubles (59) and the single season mark for rbi's (64). The 6-2, 210-pound Friedholm was a first team All-BIG EAST selection as a sophomore and is in the running for All-BIG EAST and All-American honors this season. He leads the Friars in average (.404), doubles (20), home runs (13), rbi's (64), total bases (137), slugging percentage (.749) and on base percentage (.525). Defensively, there are none better as the Friars' backstop has thrown out 40.0% of runners trying to steal on him this season and 42.5% for his career.

McCambridge has had a stellar career while battling injuries during her four seasons at Providence. In 1995, she finished sixth and earned All-America accolades at the NCAA Cross Country Championship. Her sixth-place finish at the NCAA Championship helped the team capture the College's first NCAA title. During her career at Providence she appeared in eight NCAA Championships and led the cross country team to three consecutive BIG EAST Championships. In addition to captaining the cross country squad and leading the team to a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Championship this year, McCambridge ran one of the fastest collegiate times in the nation in the 3,000 meters (9:22.33) at the Terrier Classic in January.

Acevedo finished his career at Providence fourth all-time in goals (18) and points (47). The senior soccer captain recorded his best season in 1997 with eight goals and three assists in 18 games. A model of hard work and perseverance, Acevedo played forward and midfield throughout his four seasons.

Pandolfo, a four-year member of the baseball team has been a jack-of-all-trades during his career. The consumate utility man, Pandolfo has played all four infield positions, served as designated hitter and pitched. One of the hardest working players ever to play at Providence, Pandolfo is hitting.286 with a home run and ten rbi's in 26 games. From the mound, he's appeared in four games and is 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA. Team's are hitting just .242 against him. For his career, he has appeared in 90 games with a .288 average with three homers and 27 rbi's.

Quaglia, a senior captain on the softball squad, tore her ACL prior to the season and took the role as student assistant coach in 1998. Last year, the catcher led the team with an impressive .315 batting average including a .333 tally in BIG EAST games.

More than 300 athletes from PC's 22 varsity sports attended the dinner. Watches were presented to the graduating senior athletes.