PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- It was announced on September 2 that former Providence College student-athlete Gladys Ganiel (Harrington, Maine) was named 1999 NCAA Rhode Island Woman of the Year. Ganiel, a 1999 graduate of Providence College, was a star on the PC cross country and track teams. She was one of 51 female student-athletes honored by the NCAA for excelling beyond their athletic pursuits with academic achievements and community involvement. From the 51 Woman of the Year state winners, 10 finalists will be selected later this month for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award.

Ganiel, who graduated with a degree in political science, earned a cumulative grade point average of 3.98 in her four years at Providence. She left Providence as a six time GTE Academic All-American and a four time BIG EAST Academic All-Star. In her senior year, Ganiel earned the NCAA Walter Byers Scholarship and was named the BIG EAST Scholar Athlete of the Year. In addition, Ganiel also was named a 1999 Rhode Island finalist for a Rhodes Scholarship and earned the Helen Bert Award as the top graduating female athlete at Providence College.

In the first semester of her freshman year (1995), Ganiel helped the PC women's cross country team capture the NCAA Cross Country Championship, which was the first NCAA team title ever at Providence and the first women's NCAA team title in Rhode Island. She also helped the women's cross country team maintain its national dominance as the squad placed seventh (1996), sixth (1997) and 14th (1998) at the NCAA Championship. On a conference level, Ganiel helped the Friar cross country squad win three BIG EAST titles (1995, 1996 and 1997) and three New England crowns (1996, 1997 and 1998). In track, Ganiel also achieved success. In 1998, she finished 13th in 10,000 meters at the NCAA Outdoor Track Championship. Ganiel was a two-time ECAC Outdoor Track 10,000 meter champion.

While at Providence, Ganiel was a writer for the school newspaper, a research assistant in the Political Science Department and was heavily involved in volunteerism with her church. She is a member of the Ocean State Baptist Church in Smithfield, R.I. and volunteers with the youth, in nursery duty, working on the cleaning crew and as a member of the missionary support group. Ganiel also is a member of the Irish Cultural Association, which requires her to spend time giving lectures on Irish politics, history and literature.

Ganiel, who plans to attend Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, to pursue a doctorate in political science, is the second Providence College student-athlete to earn NCAA Rhode Island Woman of the Year accolades.

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