Lisa McNamara ’23, ’24G
Global Studies
Business and Innovation, Black Studies
Lisa McNamara ’23, ’24G of Barre, Vermont, has been playing sports nearly her whole life — “basically since I could walk,” she said. Whether soccer, lacrosse, ice hockey, or field hockey, she felt at home on the pitch, on the ice, on the field. When Diane Madl, coach of the Providence College Friars Field Hockey team, saw Lisa play at a tournament, she knew she was a good fit for Friars field hockey — and PC in general.
Lisa was a high achiever on the field and in the classroom, balancing the rigors of athletics and academics while enjoying campus social life. She declared a major in global studies with minors in business and innovation as well as Black studies.
Throughout her teenage years, she quietly struggled with body image and nutrition. As a college athlete and student, she understood that she needed nutrition to fuel her performance but was intensely anxious about eating what she perceived as too much or not the right food. She suffered, and so did her athletic performance.
Courageously, she sought help. She approached John Rock, PC’s senior associate athletic director for health and wellness, who connected her with a nutritionist and with Jessica Pfeifer Stewart, Psy.D., clinical psychologist for student athletes in the Personal Counseling Center. Rock, Stewart, Madl, and others became a vital support network as Lisa recovered from her eating disorder.
Lisa saw very little playing time her sophomore season due to her health, but she was determined to return to the field stronger than ever in her junior year. By her perseverance and with the support of coaches, staff, and teammates, she started every game her junior year.
“Our coaches want us to succeed. They want us to achieve our program goal of a BIG EAST championship. Winning is important, but we get there by developing as human beings who can succeed in whatever we choose, by showing up in our personal lives, and by having fun — we are whole human beings,” she said.
Lisa became a two-year captain of the field hockey team — “the greatest honor of my life.” She committed herself to supporting fellow athletes and appreciates being part of a college athletics program that “has worked relentless to put systems in place to support us.”
Now a graduate student in the MBA program in the Providence College School of Business, Lisa work in the Office of Student Athlete Development where she supports Friar Edge — a comprehensive program supporting student-athletes as learners, leaders, and citizens.
Lisa interned for Ducker Carlisle, a Boston-based consulting firm specializing in automotive and heavy machinery. She learned about the opportunity through former teammate Marlies Kool ’22G. Lisa has been invited to return to the firm upon completion of her MBA. Beyond that work, she hopes to coach or otherwise support young athletes in her free time.
“I want to help girls and young women have a great experience in sports. This program gave me the path to become who I am. Being part of that for other people is a dream come true,” Lisa said.
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