PC Degrees: BS/Social Science

PC Activities: Women’s ice hockey

Career Path: While at Providence College, Sara DeCosta had an outstanding career as a member of the women’s ice hockey team with a 49-28-8 record, a 2.15 goals against average, a .929 save percentage, and 11 shut-outs.

In her first year, DeCosta was named the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Rookie of the Year.  Throughout her college career, DeCosta was selected for the ECAC All Decade First and Second Teams, and was named the Heaton/ECAC Goaltender of the Week a league high five times in 1999-2000 and three times in 1998-1999.  DeCosta also was a member of the American Women's College Hockey Alliance First and Second Teams All-American, the New England Hockey Writers All-Star Team, and was a finalist twice for the Patty Kazmaier Award for College Hockey’s Most Outstanding Player.  In the 1999-2000 season, DeCosta was honored as New England College Athletic Conference Women’s Division One Athlete of the Year, leading the nation with a .946 save percentage, fifth in nation with a 1.46 goals against average, and a career high 62 saves in 1-0 loss to Dartmouth on March 10, 2000.

DeCosta brought her outstanding goaltending skills to national teams.  In 1995, DeCosta was a member of the United States Women’s Junior National Team, and the following year won a silver medal in the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Pacific Women’s Hockey Championship.  From 1996-2000, DeCosta was a six-time member of the United States Women’s National Team, winning a gold medal in the Three Nations Cup, shutting out Team Canada in the championship game -- the only player to ever shut out Canada in over ten years of international competition.  In 1998, DeCosta became a member of the first-ever United States Women’s Olympic Hockey Team, which was the won a gold medal in the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.  Her Olympic team members included another PC student and five alumni.  In 2000, DeCosta was voted U.S.A. Women’s Hockey Player of the Year, and earned the 2000 and 2001 silver medal at the IIHF Women’s World Championship.  She competed in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, winning a silver medal as part of the women’s team, and again was recognized as the U.S.A. Women’s Hockey Player of the Year in 2002 for her incredible achievements.

DeCosta is currently a goaltender in Warwick, Rhode Island, and also owns the National Fitness Health Club in Walpole, MA with her husband, Mark.  She is an active member of the community as the National Spokesperson for Buckle-Up America, and is involved with the Special Olympics, Hasbro Children’s Hospital, and the Rhode Island Coalition against Domestic Violence. 


Family: Husband Mark Hayes, PC class of ‘91 & ‘99G; daughter Kiley

Staying Involved: DeCosta remains actively involved with the PC women’s ice hockey team

Memorable Quotes: “My professors at Providence College helped me realize that anything in life is possible with some hard work and passion."