Providence to restore men's golf, add a women's team for 2025-26 season

08/08/2024 23:34

Men's golf is back at Providence College. And women’s golf has been added.

The Friars will restore the program to varsity status for the 2025-26 season. Providence also announced the founding of a women's golf program, which will debut in the same academic year.

Providence sponsored men's golf for two years in the 1930s and then again from 1960-2002. It was a casualty of Title IX cuts alongside baseball and men's tennis, a decision made by the school's previous administration. Current president the Rev. Kenneth Sicard and athletic director Steve Napolillo have helped generate record fundraising and season ticket revenue for the current department.

"PC has a long and proud history with men's golf, and we are pleased to be able to restore the sport to varsity-level status, which will put us on par with our fellow Big East institutions," Sicard said in a statement. "In addition, women's golf has become extremely popular in recent years, and it made sense for us to add a women's varsity team at the same time."

Men's golf won league titles in 1980 and 1993, finished runner-up on four other occasions and developed six individual league champions. The Friars went back-to-back three different times — Matt Zito and Bill Reardon in 1979-80, Andy Falcone and Shane Drury in 1985-86, Mike Ghelfi and Marc Siewertsen in 1992-93. Providence reached eight NCAA fields as a team and had 14 players qualify for individual match play under Hall of Fame coach Joe Prisco.

"We look forward to competing in the Big East with both our golf programs," Napolillo said in a statement. "Adding these two sports will create additional opportunities for student-athletes and allow them to experience all that Friartown has to offer."

The Friars announced $10.7 million in athletics fundraising during the last fiscal year, a number that doesn't include any additional name, image and likeness donations. Providence was a far different operation in October 1998 when it made a stunning announcement to eliminate three sports. Its baseball program followed by winning a Big East title in 1999 — home plate from its former Hendricken Field still hangs on the wall of a bar adjacent to campus.

"Over the past 18 months, we vigorously pursued all options available to us," said former Providence athletic director John Marinatto, who passed away in 2021. "We looked at what was realistic given our gender balance and the national projections. It became apparent to us that we could not add funding to athletics and that reallocation was our only path."

These two additions bring Providence to 21 varsity programs for 2025-26. The Friars will hire a pair of golf coaches, one for each program, and are in the process of identifying a home course.