April 21, 2016
Fame and Friars: 14 Friars inducted into Athletics Hall of Fame
Fourteen in 2016. It never gets old.
Every couple of years, the Friar athletics faithful congregates for one of those momentous occasions governed by tradition. It’s a rite of passage where the black is never more bold and the white gleams spectacularly.
It’s a night when the room seemingly is ripe to burst from the nostalgia, the spirit, and the emotion of a storied athletics program and its proud student-athletes.
On Feb. 13, 14 stars of yesteryear were enshrined in the College’s Athletics Hall of Fame in a packed ballroom at The Biltmore hotel — fittingly during Alumni & Family Weekend. The honorees included a 16-season Major League Baseball veteran, an eight-year NBA player, a general manager for five NHL teams, a four-time NCAA champion, a swimmer who holds or shares eight school records, and a lacrosse student-athlete and a women’s basketball student-athlete who were the first Friars in their sport to be drafted professionally.
Joining an elite circle that now numbers 167 individuals and one team were:
- Laurie Baker ’00, women’s ice hockey;
- Brian Burke ’77, Lifetime Achievement Award recipient;
- Mike Donnelly ’97, men’s track and cross country;
- Ryan Gomes ’05, men’s basketball;
- Martin Hayes ’85, men’s soccer;
- Nadine Malcolm ’97, women’s basketball;
- John McDonald ’10SCE, baseball;
- Roisin McGettigan ’03, women’s track and cross country;
- Jed Michnowicz ’99, men’s swimming;
- Brian O’Rorke ’05, lacrosse;
- Tom Palamara ’80, former women’s ice hockey coach;
- Chad Quenneville ’95, men’s ice hockey;
- Kim Smith ’05, women’s track and cross country;
- and Cami White ’91, field hockey.
“This is just one of those occasions. … You know they all did something great,” said master of ceremonies and longtime PC basketball radio play-by-play announcer John Rooke, at the beginning of the night.
Long live tradition.
Laurie Baker ’00
Women’s Ice Hockey
• recorded 75 goals, 44 assists, and 119 points overall in two seasons at PC
• two-time Olympian; helped U.S. win 1998 gold medal
Brian Burke ’77
Lifetime Achievement Award
• played in 112 hockey games in four seasons at PC; captain as a senior
• GM of five NHL teams, including the 2007 Stanley Cup Champion Anaheim Ducks
Mike Donnelly ’97
Men’s Track & Cross Country
• first walk-on to earn All-America honors in PC men’s track
• two-time All-American: 1997 NCAA Indoor 5,000, 1997 NCAA Outdoor 10,000
Ryan Gomes ’05
Men’s Basketball
• PC’s all-time leading scorer with 2,138 points; seventh with 1,028 rebounds
• played eight seasons in the NBA with four teams
Martin Hayes ’85
Men’s Soccer
• two-time All-American, including first PC men’s soccer All-American
• recorded 16 goals and 16 assists for 48 points in four seasons as
a midfielder
Nadine Malcolm ’97
Women’s Basketball
• ranks sixth all-time in PC career scoring (1,649 points) and 14th in career rebounds (688)
• first PC women’s basketball student-athlete to play professionally in the WNBA
John McDonald ’10SCE
Baseball
• holds school record for single-season hits (85) and doubles (23)
• played 16 seasons (1,100 games) in Major League Baseball with eight teams
Roisin McGettigan ’03
Women’s Track & Cross Country
• set PC women’s record for indoor 800 meters (2:05.91) and 3,000-meter steeplechase (9:50.12)
• four-time All-American; 2008 Olympian for Ireland
Jed Michnowicz ’99
Men’s Swimming
• holds school record in five individual freestyle events (100 yards, 200, 500, 1,000, & 1,650)
• PC’s second all-time leading scorer with 1,029 points
Brian O’Rorke ’05
Lacrosse
• three-time All-MAAC First-Team selection and MAAC Defensive Player of the Year
• first PC lacrosse player drafted by Major League Lacrosse
Tom Palamara ’80
Women’s Ice hockey
• first head coach of the program, starting in his sophomore year
• coached the team its first six years and finished with a 56-27-3 record
Chad Quenneville ’95
Men’s Ice Hockey
• ranks eighth in PC career scoring with 167 points, on 78 goals and 89 assists
• two-time Second-Team All-American and two-time All-New England
Kim Smith ’05
Women’s Track & Cross Country
• only PC woman to win four NCAA titles overall and two NCAA titles in the same meet
• three-time Olympian for New Zealand
Cami White ’91
Field Hockey
• ranks as PC’s fourth career scoring leader with 144 points
• named a First-Team All-American and a three-time Academic All-American
