PROVIDENCE, R.I. – It was announced today [Dec. 19] that Providence College will induct 10 individuals into its Athletics Hall of Fame, in addition to the 2013 Women’s Cross Country Team, which claimed the program’s second NCAA Division I National Championship. Inductees will be honored on Friday, June 5 at 6:30 p.m. at the Ruane Friar Development Center on the Providence College campus. Fans can purchase tickets to the event using the following link: 2026 Providence College Athletics Hall of Fame Ceremony
 

The inductees will be Lisa Brown-Miller ’88 (women’s ice hockey), Bryce Cotton ’14 (men’s basketball), Gerry Deegan (men’s cross country/track), Danette Doetzel ’09 (women’s cross country/track), Paul Guay ’90 (men’s ice hockey), Paul Kostacopolous ’87 (baseball – student-athlete & head coach), John Linehan ’02 (men’s basketball), Kerry Lyons ’94 (women’s soccer), Emily Sisson ’14 (women’s cross country/track) and Paula Wagoner ’98 (field hockey). Members of the 2013 women’s cross country team who will be inducted are Sarah Mary Collins ’16, Molly Keating ’16, Erin Murphy ’14, Laura Nagel ’14, Catarina Rocha ’17, Grace Thek ’14 and Sisson.
 
Brown-Miller, who will be inducted posthumously, is tied for 13th all-time in scoring at Providence with 154 points (92 goals, 62 assists). Her 92 goals rank as the seventh-highest total at the College. In 1985, her freshman season, she scored the winning goal against New Hampshire as Providence captured the ECAC Championship title. In 1988, she was the ECAC Division I Player of the Year. She also made the ECAC All-Star Team her sophomore and senior years. Brown-Miller played for the 1998 Gold Medal U.S. Olympic Team. She also played on six U.S. Women’s National Teams (1990, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997), recording 13 goals and 25 assists in 30 games. She was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2009 as a member of the 1998 U.S. Olympic Team.
 
Although not heavily recruited out of high school, Cotton left his mark on Friartown. In his final two seasons, Cotton helped bring the Friars to the NIT (2013) and NCAA Tournament (2014). In his junior season, Cotton earned All-BIG EAST First-Team honors. He was the league scoring leader (18.3 points BIG EAST, 19.7 overall) in 2013. As a senior he did everything for the Friars, leading the team to its first BIG EAST title since 1994 and its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2004. He led the BIG EAST in assists (6.1 apg) and ranked second in the league in scoring (21.8 ppg, 23.4 ppg BIG EAST play). Cotton led the nation in minutes played (39.9 mpg). He established the team record for minutes played in a season at 1,398. He finished his career with 1,975 points and currently ranks fifth all-time in scoring at PC. In addition to earning Associated Press Honorable Mention All-America accolades in 2014, Cotton also was named BIG EAST Tournament Most Outstanding Player, First Team All-BIG EAST and a Lute Olson All-American. After going undrafted in the 2014 NBA draft, Cotton had a number of short stints in the NBA over his first two professional seasons, playing for the Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns and Memphis Grizzlies. He also played in the NBA Development League, China, Turkey and Italy between 2014 and 2018. He has enjoyed a long and decorated career in the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). As a member of the Perth Wildcats between 2017 and 2025, he won three NBL championships and five NBL Most Valuable Player Awards. He is also a two-time NBL Grand Final MVP, eight-time All-NBL First Team recipient and collected eight NBL scoring titles. He currently plays for the Adelaide 36ers of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL).
 
Deegan is one of five Friars to ever win a NCAA title. In 1978, Deegan captured the NCAA Indoor two-mile run. He earned All-America honors in cross country in 1977 after finishing third at the NCAA Championship. He also received All-America accolades during the 1978 indoor season (two-mile run) and the outdoor season where he placed second in the 5,000 meters at the NCAA Championship. 
 
Doetzel claimed an NCAA 10,000-meter title, five All-America honors and three BIG EAST titles during her career at Providence College. She claimed the 10,000-meter BIG EAST title twice (2008, 2009) and the 3,000-meter indoor title in 2009. Doetzel became the sixth PC female athlete to win an NCAA individual title when she captured the 10,000 meters at the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Track Championships. She became the first Providence College Track athlete to win an NCAA title in the 10,000 meters. 
 
Guay, while only playing two seasons with the Friars, made quite the impression upon hockey fans in Rhode Island. He scored 34 goals in his last season as a Friar, the most goals in a single season in program history. In just 75 games, Guay registered 57 goals and 48 assists. He was a member of the 1982-83 All-New England squad and was an ECAC Second Team selection. He was the first Providence College Friar to become a hockey Olympian. After attending the Sports Festival for the 1984 Olympics, Guay made the 1984 U.S. Olympic Team. Guay decided to forego his last two years of eligibility to play for the Philadelphia Flyers. He continued his NHL career in Boston, New York (Islanders), Hartford and Los Angeles, appearing in a total of 117 NHL games over seven seasons.
 
In seven seasons as a head coach of the Friar baseball program, Kostacopoulos registered a 220-137-1 mark (.616) and he led the team to two NCAA Tournament appearances. His Friar squads also posted an 87-61 BIG EAST record (.588), finishing first during the regular season in 1995 and 1996. Kostacopoulos served as an assistant at Providence for two seasons before he became the youngest Division I head coach in the country in 1990 at age 25. By his third season in charge, Providence was 29-23 in 1992 and won the Big East Tournament to advance to the NCAA South I Regional. In 1995, the Friars were 44-15 and won a school-record 16 BIG EAST games to claim the regular-season BIG EAST Championship, going on to finish as the tournament runner-up and receive an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament. In Kostacopoulos’ time with the Friars, he was named the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Northeast Coach of the Year in 1992 and 1995 and received both BIG EAST and New England Coach-of-the-Year honors in 1995. Kostacopoulos earned his bachelor’s degree from Providence College in 1987, capping a four-year career as a member of the Friar baseball team in which he played 139 games and batted .260. As a senior, he was both captain and defensive player of the year. Three future Major League Baseball players played under Kostacopoulos at Providence. Lou Merloni (1990–1993), John McDonald (1995–1996) and Keith Reed (1996). He left Providence in 1996 to coach at Maine. He spent nine years at Maine, where he led his Black Bear teams to a 274-195 mark. Kostacopoulos was named the Head Coach at Navy in 2006. He guided the Midshipmen for 18 seasons and producing a 523-373-5 record (.591). He retired from the Naval Academy in 2023 after coaching for 34 years and amassing a 1,017-705-5 record (.590). Kostacopoulos also is a member of the Maryland Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame (2018) and the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame (2014). He is married to former Friar women’s basketball standout Joanie Powers and he serves as the athletic director at St. Mary’s High School in Annapolis, Maryland.
 
Linehan left Providence College with the NCAA career steals record and is known as one of the greatest defenders to ever play for the Friars. His NCAA steals record stood for 20 years before being broken in 2022. In his senior year as a Friar (2002), Linehan recorded 139 steals to total 385 in his career. He also scored 990 career points. Linehan was voted Defensive Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons (2001 and 2002). In 2001, he was named to the Basketball Times Third Team All-America, NABC All-District Second Team and the All-BIG EAST Second Team. In 2002, Linehan was an Associated Press All-America Honorable Mention as well as the NABC, ESPN.com, Basketball America and CollegeInsider.com Defensive Player of the Year. He was also named to the Second Team All-BIG EAST, USBWA All-District 1, NABC First Team All-District 1 and the Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team. During the 2001 NBA Playoffs, Kobe Bryant was asked to name the toughest defender he ever faced. Bryant responded, “John Linehan.” After graduating Linehan, played professionally in the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) and the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), where he won the league championship with the Dakota Wizards in 2004. After winning the CBA championship, Linehan moved to Europe and played professionally in France and Estonia until 2015. He then began his career as a basketball coach in 2015 and has served as an assistant coach at Drexel, Brown, Hartford, Georgia and Saint Joseph’s. Currently, he is an assistant coach at BYU.
 
Lyons helped guide the women’s soccer team to the BIG EAST title in 1993 enroute to the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance. Lyons was a prolific scorer, having finished her career with 98 points on 41 goals and 16 assists. To date, she remains the program leader in career goals (41) and career points (98). She also scored a program-record 17 goals during the 1992 campaign.
 
Sisson became the third Friar to earn multiple NCAA titles in the same year. Sisson claimed the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor 5,000-meter titles in her final year at Providence. On her journey to becoming a two-time NCAA Champion, she also broke Kim Smith’s NCAA Indoor 5,000-meter record (15:12.22) with a solo effort at the 2015 BIG EAST Indoor Championship. Sisson also co-captained the 2013 NCAA Championship cross country team to the program’s second NCAA title. Over the course of her career at Providence, Sisson claimed 10 All-America honors and seven BIG EAST titles. Her 10 All-America honors are tied for the most all-time at Providence College. Sisson competed in the 10,000 meters at the 2020 Olympics. In 2022, Sisson broke the American half marathon record with a time of 1:06:52 and the American marathon record in a time of 2:18.29. Sisson competed in the marathon at the 2024 Paris Olympics finishing 23rd in a time of 2:29.53. 
 
Wagoner was a two-time All-American for the field hockey program, having earned NFHCA Third-Team honors in 1996 and Second-Team accolades in 1997. She also was a three-time NFHCA Division I All-Northeast Region First-Team selection and three-time All-BIG EAST First-Team honoree (1995, 1996, 1997). Wagoner is one of only two players in program history to earn All-BIG EAST First-Team recognition three times, and the only field hockey player from Providence College to be named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year, which she earned in 1997. As a freshman in 1994, she claimed BIG EAST Rookie of the Year and was named to the BIG EAST All-Rookie Team. Wagoner completed her career with 66 points on 15 goals and 36 assists. Her 36 assists rank fourth all-time at Providence and she still holds the single season record for assists (19), which she set in 1997. She helped guide her team to three BIG EAST Tournament appearances and advanced to the Championship Game in 1996. 
 
The 2013 women’s cross country team had one of the most successful seasons in Friar history, winning seven of eight races, defending the 2012 Northeast Regional title and capturing the program’s sixth BIG EAST title on the journey to taking the ultimate crown. The 2013 NCAA title marked the second NCAA Championship in program history. The team produced three All-Americans, including Emily Sisson ’14, Laura Nagel ’14 and Sarah Collins ’16. In addition to Sisson, Nagel and Collins, the other members of the team were Molly Keating ’16, Erin Murphy ’14, Catarina Rocha ’17 and Grace Thek ’14. 
 
 
– GO FRIARS! – 
 
 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. —

UK volleyball is headed to the national championship for just the second time in program history.

Kentucky and Wisconsin volleyball battled it out in Kansas City to determine who would play against Texas A&M for the national championship.

The Badgers made quick work in the first set, winning 25-12.

Kentucky would answer with a 25-22 win in the second set to even things out.

But Wisconsin would fire back again, taking the third set 25-21.

UK wasn’t going down without a fight, forcing a fifth set after winning the fourth 26-24.

The fifth set was another back and forth between the two teams, but Kentucky held on for a 15-13 win, advancing to the title game.

The Wildcats will play Texas A&M for the national championship at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday.

MUMBAI: Naman Mathur, popularly known as Mortal has joined cricketing star Smriti Mandhana, youth icon Rannvijay Singha, and rapper Srushti Tawde for Royal Challenge Packaged Drinking Water’s new campaign ‘Main Nahi Toh Kaun Be’.

This is a celebration of self-belief and authenticity. It reflects a shift from living by inherited norms to defining success on one’s own terms, from “what will people think” to “what do I think.” Brought to life through Srushti Tawade’s spirited anthem of the same name, the campaign is a tribute to those who’ve chosen bold at every turn and earned the right to say, Main Nahi Toh Kaun Be.

As an esports athletes and co-founder of S8UL Esports, Mortal’s inclusion in this national campaign highlights the growing influence of gaming and content creation within India’s youth culture. His journey from starting out as a mobile gamer to representing India on the global stage in esports and winning the Esports Content Creator of the Year 2024 award at the global Esports Awards symbolizes a new generation of achievers who have turned unconventional passions into professional careers.

“Gaming has never just been about winning, it’s about the mindset. Every match is a test of strategy, patience and self-belief. You enter the battlefield knowing anything’s possible if you trust your grind. That’s why ‘Mai Nahi Toh Kaun Be’ isn’t just a line- it’s a reminder to back yourself, every single time,” said Naman Mathur aka Mortal.

Representing diverse passions that define young India, from sports and entertainment to music and gaming, the campaign speaks to a generation unafraid to dream big and carve its own path.

The film opens with an energetic montage capturing each icon in their own world: Mandhana on the pitch, commanding every shot; Singha pushing boundaries with confidence; Mortal deep in gameplay strategy; and Tawde delivering fiery verses that echo her individuality. Their journeys unfold through moments of hustle, passion and triumph, all connected by one powerful idea, belief in oneself. ‘Main Nahi Toh Kaun Be’ goes beyond being a campaign. It is a movement that encourages everyone to make boldness a defining part of who they are.

Speaking on the launch, Varun Koorichh, VP marketing – Portfolio Head Premium and Luxury, Diageo India, said, “Main Nahi Toh Kaun Be is the next chapter in our Choose Bold journey, and it mirrors the wave of confidence shaping India today. Being bold is no longer limited to the big screen or the big stage – it’s about backing yourself in any arena where ambition runs high.

“That’s why this campaign champions everything from high-pressure cricket moments to the explosive rise of e-sports – a space where young Indians are proving that skill, resilience and self-belief are the new markers of success. Whether you’re battling it out in a competitive gaming lobby, creating in the fast-moving digital landscape, or building something from the ground up – it’s that inner conviction that sets you apart. With this campaign, we’ve brought together cultural icons who embody this fearless spirit and we hope it inspires every young Indian to step up and say, ‘If not me, then who?”

According to the FICCI EY Media and Entertainment Industry Report 2025, the number of brands investing in esports is set to rise from 68 in 2024 to 75 in 2025. Royal Challenge Packaged Drinking Water’s association with India’s gaming and esports industry reflects this growing trend. The brand has been consistently engaging with the gaming community, from creating a “Cricket Gaming Zone” with NODWIN Gaming at Mumbai Comic Con 2025 to hosting branded game nights and collaborating with leading Indian gaming creators, showcasing its commitment to the country’s thriving gamer ecosystem.

With this campaign, Royal Challenge Packaged Drinking Water is looking to champion a generation that steps up, takes risks, and embraces boldness in every moment. It stands as a celebration of confidence, courage, and conviction — a reminder to make things happen, because if not you, then who?

Watch the film here: