April 23, 2018
Around Friartown: Drew Brown ’16 will always be with us
Drew Brown ’16, the inspiration behind the Friars’ 2015 NCAA hockey championship, died from cancer at the age of 25 on Nov. 11, 2017. Diagnosed in 2014, after his junior season, Brown returned from his native Michigan — where he was receiving treatments — to be with the Friars during their 2015 playoff run. He served as a student assistant coach in 2015-2016, while finishing his PC degree.
Bullish on charity
Basketball legend Kris Dunn ’16 is making his mark in Chicago, where he plays for the Bulls. Dunn bought Christmas gifts for 25 children, while also donating 400 security cameras to help ensure the safety of South Side residents.
Another Friar joins pro soccer circuit
The Houston Dynamo selected men’s soccer star Mac Steeves ’18 in the MLS second round on Jan. 19. Steeves is the eighth former Friar to be drafted by an MLS team, including Atlanta United FC’s Julian Gressel ’17, the 2017 MLS Rookie of the Year.
Two Olympics, two medals for goalie
Goaltender Genevieve Lacasse ’12 added an Olympic silver medal to her collection as a member of the Canadian team in the 2018 PyeongChang games. Lacasse, who won a gold as a member of the 2014 Canadian team, made 44 saves as Canada beat the U.S., 2-1, in group play on Feb. 14.
Burke ’87 adds media award to trophy case
Accolades keep coming in for basketball broadcaster and College trustee Doris Burke ’87, ’92G, & ’05Hon. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced in February that she will receive the 2018 Curt Gowdy Media Award for “efforts (that) have made a significant contribution to the game.” ESPN/ABC’s Burke is the first woman ever assigned a full-time NBA broadcast analyst’s role.
Playing ‘keeps’ with coaching award
Coach Ray Treacy ’82 is such a towering figure in cross country that a coach of the year award is named for him. Not only that, but he won that honor — the Ray Treacy Northeast Women’s Coach of the Year Award — for guiding the 2017 Friars to the NCAA Northeast Regional team title and the BIG EAST Championship.
Learys honored with Penny Clarke Award
The athletics department honored trustee Bill Leary ’60 & ’10Hon. and his wife, Emily Leary, on Jan. 27 with the 2018 Penny Clarke Award, recognizing their transformational impact on the Friar women’s and men’s hockey programs. The Clarke Family — Cortlandt ’67, daughters Sara and Becky, and the late Mrs. Clarke — is a longtime supporter of the men’s hockey program.
