May 20, 2015
Around Friartown
Sisson sets U.S. record, wins NCAA title; Dunn, Henton named hoop All-Americans
Providence College had not one, but two, NCAA champions this winter.
In addition to the men’s hockey team’s first NCAA crown, graduate student Emily Sisson ’14 (Chesterfield, Mo.) won the NCAA championship in the women’s 5,000-meter indoor run. She ran a time of 15:32.15 to win by eight seconds. Her performance came two weeks after she set a national collegiate record in the 5,000 during the BIG EAST Championship. Sisson broke the record held by former PC All-American Kim Smith ’05 by almost two seconds, clocking in at 15:12.22.
Sisson also placed third in the 3,000 in the NCAA Championship and thus earned First-Team All-America honors twice.
Also competing in the NCAA Indoor Track Championship and earning Second-Team All-America recognition was men’s standout Julian Oakley ’16 (Tauranga, New Zealand). He placed 11th in the mile in a time of 4:00.25.
The fourth team to qualify for NCAA action this winter was men’s basketball. Ed Cooley’s Friars, powered by Kris Dunn ’16 (New London, Conn.) and LaDontae Henton ’15 (Lansing, Mich.), made a second straight trip to the tournament. PC lost to Dayton, 66-53, and finished with a 22-12 record, including 11-7 in BIG EAST play.
Dunn, the sensational guard who announced he will return for the 2015-16 season, earned three All-America honors: NBC Sports.com Second Team, CBS Sports.Com Third Team, and Associated Press (AP) Honorable Mention. He also was selected as BIG EAST Co-Player of the Year, BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year, and to the All-BIG EAST First Team. Henton was named an AP Honorable Mention Team All-American and to the All-BIG EAST First Team.
Hockey goaltender Jon Gillies ’16 (South Portland, Maine) was the fifth winter student-athlete to achieve All-America status. Gillies, who signed an entry-level contract with the NHL’s Calgary Flames after the season, was named a Second Team (East) CCM All-American and an USCHO.com First Team All-American.
Meanwhile, fall-sport student-athletes earning All-America status were men’s soccer midfielder Phil Towler ’15 (Cumbria, England), Third Team; field hockey star and graduate student Caitlin Malone ’14 (Ossining, N.Y.), Third Team; women’s cross-country standout Catarina Rocha ’17 (Peabody, Mass.); and men’s cross-country runners Shane Quinn ’15 (Waterford, Ireland) and Ben Connor ’15 (Derby, England).
A breakout soccer season
Head Coach Craig Stewart’s men’s soccer team opened eyes across the U.S. with an outstanding season that resulted in a program-best ranking of #3 in the national poll. PC captured its first BIG EAST Tournament Championship, beating Xavier, 2-1, on Nov. 16. That led to a historic NCAA Tournament run that included a quarterfinal win at Michigan State and culminated in a national semifinal appearance. PC was edged by UCLA, 3-2, in double overtime, but finished with a team-record 16 wins (16-5-2). Mac Steeves ’17 (Needham, Mass.) was named the College Cup’s Most Valuable Offensive Player — the first time in 30 years that a player from a losing team earned the award. Goalie Keasel Broome ’15 (Claymont, Del.) and forward Markus Naglestad ’15 (Kristiansand, Norway) were selected in the 2015 Major League Soccer SuperDraft.
Cross country with strong seasons, as usual
The Friar men’s and women’s cross-country teams, under the expert tutelage of Coach Ray Treacy ’82, turned in outstanding seasons during the fall of 2014. The women’s team, coming off a 2013 national championship, finished 13th among 31 teams in the NCAA Championship in November. All seven runners who competed that day have eligibility remaining for next year. The men’s team also placed 13th among 31 qualifying teams in the NCAAs, rallying in the second half of the race to move up several places as a team.
Press Box
Led by the women’s soccer team’s 3.38 GPA, Friar 2014 fall sports teams turned in an impressive collective classroom performance. PC student-athletes posted a combined 3.1 GPA, the highest fall semester mark in more than 15 years. In March, the field hockey team was recognized by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFCHA) for achieving a team GPA above 3.0 and earning the Gladiator by SGI/NFCHA Division I National Academic Team Award.
Former Friar skater Karen Kay ’85 received the American Hockey Coaches Association Women’s Ice Hockey Founders Award for contributions to the sport at a ceremony in January. Kay went on from PC to coach at the University of New Hampshire and to coach USA national teams, including the 1994 World Championship silver medalists.
Friar men’s basketball enthusiasts will have an extra reason to travel to the Dunkin’ Donuts Center next season, as Providence College will host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament, March 17 and 19, 2016. This will be the seventh time PC has hosted NCAA Tournament play, the first since 2010.
Read more sports: Friars.com.
