Completed Event: Women's Track and Field at New England Championships on March 6, 2026 ,
Women's Track and Field
at New England Championships
Final
Providence College Athletics
Women's Track and Field
Ray Treacy
- Title:
- Dir. of Track & Cross Country
- Email:
- rtreacy@providence.edu
- Phone:
- (401) 865-2427
One of the nation's most successful coaches, Ray Treacy retired in June of 2026 after 41 seasons as Director of Cross Country and Track at Providence College. In his 41 years, Treacy coached 74 All-Americans, who received a total of 226 All-America honors, seven NCAA individual champions, who captured 15 NCAA titles overall, 61 BIG EAST individual champions, who captured 152 BIG EAST titles, and 11 Olympians. In addition, his women's teams captured two NCAA Cross Country Championships (1995 and 2013), 17 NCAA Northeast Regional Cross Country Championships, 22 BIG EAST Cross Country titles and 20 New England Championships.
Treacy's road to success began as a student-athlete at Providence College. The brother of 1984 Olympic silver medalist John Treacy '78, Ray's collegiate list of accomplishments and accolades is lengthy. He was the Friar team captain during his junior and senior seasons and collected All-America honors on three occasions. He was a two-time New England Cross Country champion and won the indoor 5,000 meters at the BIG EAST Championships three times. The talented distance runner also was the IC4A champion in the 10,000 and 5,000 meters during the 1981 and 1982 seasons, respectively.
A 1982 graduate of the College, Treacy was committed to the success of PC's cross country and track programs. When he took over as head coach in 1984, Treacy's knowledge of conditioning and training moved Providence's cross country and track programs into national prominence. The men's cross country program advanced to the NCAA Championships in 21 of the last 30 seasons, while the women's team has landed a record 30 out of 33 seasons.
While qualifying for the NCAA Cross Country Championships is an achievement in itself, the program under Treacy is highlighted by its success in 1990, 1995, 2003, 2004, 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2024. These eight teams each finished on the podium, among the top four in the country, at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. The 1990 team featured Sinead Delahunty, Geraldine Hendricken and Anita Philpot, who earned All-America honors to lead the Friars to a second-place finish. This was the first team to finish on the podium in Friar history. The 1995 team achieved the most successful season in program history as it captured the Friars' first NCAA team title. The Friars won all seven meets, including their first BIG EAST and ECAC titles, and had Marie McMahon, Marie McCambridge, Moira Harrington and Susan Murnane earn All-America status. For his efforts, Treacy was named NCAA Division I Women's National Coach of the Year, BIG EAST Men's and Women's Coach of the Year, Rhode Island Words Unlimited Women's Coach of the Year and NCAA District I Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year.
In 2003 and 2004, the Friars women worked their way back onto the podium. The 2003 season featured Kim Smith and Mary Cullen finishing second and fifth, respectively. With two runners in the top five, the Friars outperformed their eighth-place ranking and finished third. The next year, the women won every meet leading up to the NCAA Cross Country Championships. Kim Smith again led the team by capturing the program's first individual NCAA Cross Country title. Smith's performance, paired with a seventh-place finish by Fiona Crombie, helped the Friars finish third for the second consecutive year.
In 2012, after finishing third at the BIG EAST Championships, the Friars won the Northeast Regional. Sarah Collins, Emily Sisson and Laura Nagel all finished in the top 35 to earn All-America status and led the Friars to a second-place finish at the NCAA Championships. The 2013 team returned with the goal of capturing the program's second title. Leading up to the championships, the team won the BIG EAST and Northeast Regional titles. Three Friars, Emily Sisson, Laura Nagel and Sarah Collins, earned All-America status, helping the team win its second NCAA Cross Country team title. After the season, Treacy was named the USTFCCCA National Coach of the Year, the Northeast Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year and the Rhode Island Words Unlimited Coach of the Year.
The Friars found the podium again in 2015. The Friars dominated the BIG EAST Championships, taking the top three spots, and captured the Northeast Regional title again. Sarah Collins and Catarina Rocha both earned All-America status, leading the Friars to a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. This was the third time in four years that the Friars achieved a podium finish.
Treacy also had strong men's teams during his time at Providence. The program won 15 BIG EAST titles and finished on the podium twice, once in 1992 and once in 2000. In 1992, the Friars captured their third straight BIG EAST title and second consecutive IC4A title on their way to the NCAA Cross Country Championships. Mark Carroll finished fourth and Chris Teague finished 18th, leading the Friars to a third-place finish. The most successful men's team coached by Treacy came in 2000. The Friars won every meet, including BIG EAST and Northeast Regional titles, leading up to the NCAA Cross Country Championships. At the NCAA Championships, Keith Kelly led the team by capturing the program's first NCAA individual cross country title. Kelly, along with Hamish Thorpe and Dermot Galvin, earned All-America honors while the Friars finished third overall.
Treacy also coached many athletes to success on the track. Throughout his career, Treacy coached nine athletes to individual NCAA track titles in events ranging from the 1,500 to the 10,000 meters and coached a team that set the world record in the 4x1,500-meter relay at the Penn Relays in 1991. One of Treacy's most successful individual athletes was Kim Smith. During the 2004 track season, Smith won NCAA titles in the indoor 3,000 meters, indoor 5,000 meters and outdoor 5,000 meters and set NCAA records in all three events. Smith was the first athlete to win both the 3,000 and 5,000 meters at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. Other NCAA champions include Andy Keith (indoor mile, 1992), Mark Carroll (indoor 5,000 meters, 1995), Geraldine Hendricken (indoor 3,000 meters, 1992), Amy Rudolph (indoor mile and outdoor 1,500 meters, 1994), Marie McMahon (indoor 5,000 meters, 1996), Mary Cullen (outdoor 5,000 meters, 2006), Danette Doetzel (outdoor 10,000 meters, 2009) and Emily Sisson (indoor and outdoor 5,000 meters, 2015).
In 2013, Emily Sisson and Laura Nagel each won BIG EAST individual titles. Sisson won the 10,000 meters, breaking Kim Smith's BIG EAST meet record in a time of 33:02.80, while Nagel won the 5,000-meter title. The Providence women closed the season with Sisson, Nagel and Shelby Greany earning All-America honors at the 2013 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Sisson and Nagel finished sixth and 12th in the 5,000 meters, respectively, while Greany finished 11th in the 3,000-meter steeplechase final.
The 2014 indoor season saw two BIG EAST individual titles. Sisson won the 5,000 meters and Nagel won the 3,000 meters. Sisson and Nagel both went on to earn First Team All-America honors in the 5,000 meters and Second Team All-America honors in the 3,000 meters, respectively, at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
During the 2014 outdoor season, Sarah Collins posted the second-fastest time by a Providence College female runner in the 5,000 meters (15:31.03) at the Stanford Invitational. At the 2014 BIG EAST Outdoor Championships, Collins claimed her first BIG EAST title in the 10,000 meters, while Nagel defended her 5,000-meter title. Both women finished the season at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, earning Second Team All-America honors in the 5,000 meters. On the men's side, Julian Oakley '15 became the eighth Friar under Treacy to break the four-minute mile, running a time of 3:58.89 to finish third at the Adrian Martinez Classic on June 6.
During the 2015 season, under Treacy's guidance, Emily Sisson broke Smith's NCAA indoor 5,000-meter record (15:12.22) at the BIG EAST Indoor Championships. This marked the beginning of Sisson's standout final year at Providence College. She went on to win her first NCAA title in the indoor 5,000 meters in dominating fashion before capturing a second title in the outdoor 5,000 meters at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Sisson won both the indoor and outdoor BIG EAST 5,000-meter titles to raise her career total to seven conference championships. She also finished her career tied for first in total All-America honors by a Friar with 10.
During the 2016 indoor track season, both Julian Oakley and Sarah Collins qualified for the NCAA Championships. Oakley finished seventh in the mile to earn First Team All-America honors, while Collins finished 12th in the 5,000 meters to earn Second Team All-America honors.
The 2016 outdoor season saw two BIG EAST individual titles. Catarina Rocha and Brianna Ilarda both captured their first individual titles in the 5,000 meters and the 3,000-meter steeplechase, respectively. Ilarda went on to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships, where she finished 10th in the 3,000-meter steeplechase to earn Second Team All-America honors. Graduate student Jordan Mann became the first man to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships for Providence since 2011. Mann finished 16th in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, earning Second Team All-America honors.
The 2016-17 season was another successful year for Treacy's athletes. During the cross country season, the women captured their third BIG EAST title in four years and their fourth NCAA Northeast Regional Cross Country title in five years. Millie Paladino had a historic indoor season for the Friars. Paladino ran the third-fastest mile in Providence history, became the first woman to win the mile at the BIG EAST Indoor Championships since 2002 and earned First Team All-America honors in the mile at the NCAA Championships. Brianna Ilarda also earned First Team All-America honors with a seventh-place finish in the 5,000 meters. Both Ilarda and Paladino continued their success into the outdoor season. Ilarda went on to set the BIG EAST meet record on her way to her second consecutive title in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, while Paladino ran the second-fastest 1,500-meter time in Providence history. Both qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships, where Ilarda finished eighth to earn First Team All-America honors and Paladino finished 21st to earn Honorable Mention All-America honors. Julian Oakley also qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 5,000 meters, finishing 17th to earn Honorable Mention All-America honors.
The 2017-18 season continued Treacy's recent success. He coached Catarina Rocha to BIG EAST individual titles in cross country, the indoor 5,000 meters and the outdoor 10,000 meters. Millie Paladino picked up where she left off on the track, running the second-fastest mile time and sixth-fastest 3,000-meter time in Providence history indoors, winning the BIG EAST title in the 3,000 meters and finishing sixth in the mile at the NCAA Indoor Championships to earn First Team All-America honors. Outdoors, Treacy coached Abbey Wheeler to a 19th-place finish in the 5,000 meters at the NCAA Outdoor Championships to earn Honorable Mention All-America honors.
Runners continued to thrive under Treacy during the 2018-19 season. After winning the 5,000 meters and placing second in the 3,000 meters, Brianna Ilarda was named the BIG EAST Most Outstanding Track Performer during the indoor track season. During the outdoor season, Ilarda also won the BIG EAST title in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and earned Second Team All-America honors, marking the fourth All-America honor of her career. Fellow Friar Millie Paladino won the BIG EAST title in the 3,000 meters, earned First Team All-America honors in the mile after placing fourth at the NCAA Indoor Championships and was named the USTFCCCA Northeast Region Female Athlete of the Year. Paladino concluded her outdoor track career by earning Honorable Mention All-America honors in the 1,500 meters. Abbey Wheeler earned Second Team All-America honors after placing 14th in the 1,500 meters.
Although shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2019-20 season featured three indoor BIG EAST championships. Four rookies (Tessa Hunt, Niamh Gowing, Lilly Tuck and Alex O'Neill) captured the distance medley relay title. After winning the 3,000- and 5,000-meter events at the BIG EAST Indoor Championships, Abbey Wheeler was named the BIG EAST Most Outstanding Track Performer. Wheeler also was named the USTFCCCA Northeast Region Women's Indoor Track Athlete of the Year.
During the 2021-22 season, Treacy's teams enjoyed another successful year in the BIG EAST. After winning the BIG EAST indoor mile and the BIG EAST outdoor 1,500 meters, Shannon Flockhart earned First Team All-America honors in the 1,500 meters after placing seventh at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Kimberley May placed second in the BIG EAST outdoor 1,500 meters. Lilly Tuck captured the BIG EAST outdoor 10,000-meter title. Continuing the Friars' success, the relay team of Shannon Flockhart, Alex O'Neill, Kimberley May and Halle Atkinson won the 4x800-meter relay at the BIG EAST Outdoor Track Championships. AJ Earnst earned Second Team All-America honors after placing 16th at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
The 2022-23 season brought more success for the program. Treacy led the women's cross country team to another NCAA Cross Country Championship appearance, where the team placed 16th overall. Freshman Jane Buckley also captured the BIG EAST Cross Country individual title. The men's indoor track team won the IC4A Championship for the first time in program history. During the outdoor season, the 4x1,500-meter relay team of Alex O'Neill, Shannon Flockhart, Jane Buckley and Kimberley May won the Penn Relays Championship of America race in a program-record time of 17:11.35. At the BIG EAST Championships, the 4x800-meter relay team of Halle Atkinson, Alex O'Neill, Kimberley May and Shannon Flockhart finished first in a time of 8:36.34. Flockhart also won the BIG EAST 1,500-meter title in a time of 4:14.46 before earning First Team All-America honors with a sixth-place finish (4:10.78) in the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships final. May earned Second Team All-America honors after placing ninth in the 1,500-meter semifinal. Buckley qualified for the NCAA 5,000-meter final, where she finished 13th to earn Second Team All-America honors.
The 2023-24 season continued Treacy's tradition of success. The women's cross country team qualified for the NCAA Cross Country Championships and placed 28th overall. The indoor track season yielded significant achievements for the women's team. At the Boston University DMR Challenge, the team of Kimberley May, Shannon Flockhart, Alex O'Neill and Jill Fenerty set a program record of 10:44.07 that ranked second all-time in collegiate history. At the BIG EAST Indoor Championships, Flockhart won the mile and May claimed the 3,000-meter title. The distance medley relay team of Tessa Hunt, Fenerty, Halle Atkinson and May captured the BIG EAST title, while the 4x800-meter relay team of Atkinson, Alex O'Neill, Cara Laverty and Flockhart also earned first place. For the first time in three years, Providence was represented at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. The DMR team of May, O'Neill, Flockhart and Fenerty placed sixth to earn First Team All-America honors. May also earned First Team All-America honors after placing third in the mile, while Flockhart finished 10th to earn Second Team All-America honors.
The 2024 outdoor season was equally successful. At the BIG EAST Outdoor Championships, May won the 5,000 meters and the 4x800-meter relay team of Halle Atkinson, Shannon Flockhart, Cara Laverty and May also captured the conference title. Pat Thygesen won the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the BIG EAST Championships. At the NCAA Outdoor Championships, May and Flockhart competed in the 1,500-meter final, with both earning First Team All-America honors. Flockhart finished sixth, while May placed second.
The 2024-25 season marked another standout year for the cross country and track programs. In the fall, the women's cross country team qualified for the 2024 NCAA Cross Country Championships and placed third overall, the program's seventh top-three finish all-time and its best result since winning the national title in 2013. Three Friars earned All-America honors at the NCAA Championships with top-25 finishes. Kimberley May led the way with a 10th-place finish, followed by Alex Millard in 20th and Shannon Flockhart in 24th. At the NCAA Northeast Regional, the Friars claimed the team title (first of 39 teams), with May finishing third overall (third of 268 runners). During the indoor track season, the distance medley relay team of Flockhart, Millard, May and Jill Fenerty captured the BIG EAST title in a meet-record time of 10:54.78, marking the Friars' second consecutive BIG EAST DMR title. At the 2025 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, the DMR squad of Flockhart, Fenerty, Maeve O'Neill and May placed third of 12 teams to earn First Team All-America honors. Individually, May added another First Team All-America honor with a sixth-place finish in the 3,000 meters. Flockhart (3,000 meters) and Millard (5,000 meters) each earned Second Team All-America honors. The outdoor season brought continued success. At the Penn Relays, the Friars captured the College Women's 4x1,500-meter Championship of America in a program-record time of 16:59.65, the third-fastest time in collegiate history. At the 2025 BIG EAST Outdoor Championships, Providence won four individual titles, including graduate student Pat Thygesen, who repeated as champion in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase. Four Friars qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, the program's highest total since 1998. May led the way with a First Team All-America finish in the 1,500 meters (sixth), while Millard (5,000 meters) and O'Neill (800 meters) earned Second Team All-America honors. Flockhart rounded out her season with Honorable Mention All-America recognition after competing in the 1,500-meter semifinals.
Treacy's final season in 2025-26 saw the women's cross country team qualify for its fifth consecutive NCAA Championship and 33rd appearance in program history after finishing second among 37 teams at the NCAA Northeast Regional. The Friars went on to place 32nd at the NCAA Championships. During the indoor season, Maeve O'Neill set school records in the 600, 800 and 1,000 meters. She lowered her own 800-meter school record to 2:00.33, the ninth-fastest time in NCAA indoor history, while also setting the Irish senior indoor record and qualifying for the World Athletics Indoor Championships. O'Neill captured the BIG EAST title in the 800 meters, helped the Friars win the indoor 4x800-meter relay title and was named the BIG EAST Most Outstanding Female Track Performer. She later earned Second Team All-America honors at the NCAA Indoor Championships before advancing to the semifinals of the 800 meters in her World Championships debut, becoming the first Friar to compete at the World Championships since Ben Connor in 2019. On the men's side, Jon Mignacca became the first Friar to win a BIG EAST men's field event title, capturing the indoor high jump with a mark of 2.04 meters. Providence won a program-record nine BIG EAST track and field titles during the 2026 season, highlighted by championships from Mignacca, O'Neill (indoor and outdoor 800 meters), the women's indoor and outdoor 4x800-meter relay teams, Ryan LoCicero (outdoor 3,000-meter steeplechase), Cormac Dixon (outdoor 5,000 meters), Anna Gardiner (outdoor 5,000 meters) and Gabby Schmidt (outdoor 10,000 meters). O'Neill and Elliott Pugh qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, with O'Neill earning Second Team All-America honors in the 800 meters and Pugh receiving Honorable Mention All-America recognition in the 1,500 meters. Treacy retired on June 30, 2026.
Several of Treacy's student-athletes have gone on to leave their mark internationally. In 1996, three athletes who trained under Treacy's guidance at Providence became PC's first female track athletes to compete in the Olympics. Sinead Delahunty '93 (1,500 meters), Marie McMahon '96 (5,000 meters) and Amy Rudolph '95 (5,000 meters) all competed in Atlanta, Ga. Treacy also had three former Friars compete in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, with Delahunty (1,500 meters), Rudolph (5,000 meters) and Mark Carroll '95 (5,000 meters) all representing their countries. Kim Smith, McMahon, Carroll and Marie McCambridge '98 competed in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Smith (10,000 meters), Roisin McGettigan ('05) (3,000-meter steeplechase) and Martin Fagan (marathon) all competed. At the 2012 London Olympics, Kim Smith (marathon), Dylan Wykes '05 (marathon) and Stephanie Reilly '01 (3,000-meter steeplechase) competed. At the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, Julian Matthews '12 competed in the 1,500 meters. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Emily Sisson '14 (10,000 meters) and Ben Connor '15 (marathon) competed. Most recently, Emily Sisson '14 competed in the marathon at the 2024 Paris Olympics, finishing 23rd among the 80 runners who crossed the finish line.
A former Irish national junior champion and past member of the Irish National Cross Country Team, Treacy resides in Warwick, R.I., with his wife, Lisa. They have two sons, Michael and Liam.
Friday, April 12
