Weekly Lyon

Men's Basketball (9-3, 0-1) Drops Both Contests, Including NEWMAC Opener at MIT

The Wheaton College men's basketball team dropped both of its contests last week, losing its New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) opener at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 81-62 on Wednesday before falling to visiting Tufts University, 89-75 on Saturday. The Lyons' loss to the Jumbos was just its second home defeat by more than 11 points since 2003.

Wheaton used a 9-3 second-half run at MIT to draw within 50-43 with 11:30 remaining before its comeback attempt fell short. Freshman Anthony Coppola (Watertown, MA/Watertown) tallied a team-high 13 points, hitting two three-pointers and shooting 5-of-6 from the charity stripe. Senior Brent DiGiovanna (Hanover, MA/Hanover) contributed nine points and seven rebounds from the bench, going 3-of-4 from the field and 3-of-3 on free throw tries. Freshmen Bobby Perry (East Providence, RI/East Providence) and Ryan Sasso (Peabody, MA/Bishop Fenwick) added eight points apiece, while sophomore Jaxon Leo (Leesburg, VA/New Hampton School) tied for the team lead with seven boards.

Sasso canned a three-pointer 17 seconds into play against Tufts, but the Jumbos responded with the next 12 points and led during the remainder of the contest. Junior Nick Michel (Hyde Park, MA/Boston Latin School) led the Lyons with 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting, adding five rebounds, four assists and three blocked shots. Perry accounted for 13 points, while Coppola had 12. Leo tallied nine points and nine boards, while Sasso notched eight points and four assists.

The Lyons, who have started three freshmen in all 12 games, are 8-1 when Coppola is the team's leading scorer. The only other Wheaton freshman to lead the squad in scoring at least nine times was Will Hawkins '93, who did so on a first-year record 17 occasions in 1989-90.

Coppola Becomes First Wheaton Freshman to Earn NEWMAC Player-of-the-Week Honor

Coppola was selected NEWMAC Player of the Week for the week ending on Sunday, January 6, becoming the first Wheaton freshman in the league's 10-year history to earn the honor. Coppola led the Lyons to a 3-0 record to begin winter break, averaging 26.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 steals while shooting 56.3 percent, including 59.1 percent (13-22) on three-point tries. For his two-game performance at the Cactus Jam Hoop Classic in Phoenix, he was named to the all-tournament team. He had his first career double-double, with 25 points and 10 rebounds, against Kean University on December 28, shooting 9-of-15, including 4-of-8 from three-point territory. Coppola netted 34 points the next day versus Pacific Lutheran University, the most by a Lyon freshman since the program's first season in 1989-90, canning a program freshman-record seven threes on eight tries. At Fitchburg State College on January 5, he shot 6-of-13 while recording 20 points, four rebounds and four assists.

Women's Basketball (9-4, 2-0) Sweeps Pair, Moves into First-Place Tie in NEWMAC

The Wheaton College women's basketball team began its NEWMAC slate with a pair of victories last week, defeating homestanding Mount Holyoke College, 67-48 on Wednesday before downing visiting Babson College, 70-50 on Saturday. The Lyons, who have won five consecutive games, are one of two teams tied for first place in the 10-school league.

Junior Krystin Hickey (Manchester, NH/New Hampton School) poured in 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead Wheaton past Mount Holyoke, as the Blue and White outscored the hosts, 46-23 in the second half while shooting 69.0 percent from the floor during the stanza. Hickey finished 8-of-12 from the field and 5-of-5 at the charity stripe to go along with three assists. Sophomore Jenny Champney (Bedford, MA/Bedford) had 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting and nine rebounds in just 19 minutes, while classmate Andrea Bailey (Needham, MA/Needham) turned in nine assists to just one turnover and totaled 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting with five boards and four steals. Sophomore Ida Kruse (Vershire, VT/Rivendell Academy) finished with 10 points and five rebounds off the bench.

Six players scored at least eight points, and the Lyons used hot first-half shooting to pull away from Babson. Wheaton hit six of seven three-point attempts during a 22-6 run, helping the hosts turn a three-point edge into a 19-point lead just before the intermission. A 16-4 jaunt during the second half gave the Blue and White its largest advantage at 28 points. Junior Bri Smith (Westford, MA/Westford Academy) finished with 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc, while senior Becky Aitchison (Norwalk, CT/Trinity Catholic) went 4-of-5 for 11 points to go along with five assists. Bailey turned in 10 points, seven assists, six rebounds and five steals, and Hickey had 10 points, six rebounds and three assists. Junior Jennie Pleat (Nashua, NH/Nashua South) posted nine points off the bench, while Champney added eight points, six boards and two blocks.

Hickey (961 points) is 10th on Wheaton's career scoring list, as she is just 39 points short of 1,000, a plateau no Lyon junior has reached. Hickey is also ninth in field goals (372), Smith is sixth in three-pointers (93), and Champney is ninth in blocked shots (39).

Men's (4-5) and Women's (9-2) Swimming Sweep Five Decisions at Multi-School Meet

The Wheaton College men's and women's swimming and diving teams combined to sweep five decisions on Saturday at Wellesley College during their first action since December 8. The men downed Clark University, 160-89 and Vassar College, 156-128, while the women knocked off the Cougars, 199-94, the Brewers by a 193-96 count and the host Blue, 154-110.

Wheaton's men won 11 of the 14 swimming events, as freshman Sam Dean-Lee (Rocky Hill, CT/Xavier) played a hand in four. He won the 500- and 1,000-yard freestyles and swam for the top 200-yard medley and 400-yard free relay foursomes. Dean-Lee anchored the 200-yard medley quartet, being joined by seniors Matt Hurley (Belfast, ME/Belfast Area) and Matt Jordan (Ellsworth, ME/Ellsworth) and freshman Corey Best (Brentwood, TN/Ravenwood). The 400-yard free relay squad was also comprised of first-years Zach Fichman-Klein (North Attleboro, MA/North Attleboro), Eddie Gillie (Haverhill, MA/Saint John's Prep) and Ben Sabol (Saint Petersburg, FL/Shorecrest Prep). Gillie, Hurley and Jordan each paced the field in a pair of individual events. Gillie was the fastest 100- and 200-yard free swimmer, while Hurley won the 100- and 200-yard breaststrokes. Jordan topped all 100-yard backstroke and 100-yard butterfly competitors. Fichman-Klein also won the 50-yard free.

On the women's side, Wheaton won eight of the 14 swimming events, as senior Abby Pratt (Melrose, MA/Melrose) had a role in half of the victories. Pratt captured the 50-yard freestyle in 24.49, coming within 0.03 seconds of a provisional qualifying time for the NCAA Championship, and topped the 100-yard butterfly and 100-yard free fields. Pratt also anchored the winning 400-yard free relay quartet, joining senior Meg Miller (Duxbury, MA/Duxbury), sophomore Iris Meehan (Bar Harbor, ME/Mount Desert Island) and freshman Nicole Zais (Sudbury, MA/Lincoln-Sudbury Regional). Meehan and Zais teamed with sophomore Emily Sweatt (Portland, ME/Deering) and freshman Dania Piscetta (Belmont, NH/Belmont) on the top 200-yard medley relay team. Piscetta also won the 200-yard free and 200-yard individual medley, while Sweatt topped all 100-yard breaststroke competitors.

Men's and Women's Indoor Track and Field Open Seasons at Dartmouth Relays

The Wheaton College men's and women's indoor track and field teams began their 2008 season on Sunday at the 39th Dartmouth Relays, where the Lyon women placed sixth among 26 scoring teams and the men came in ninth out of 34. Wheaton's women were the top Division III squad at the meet.

Sophomore Howard Powell (Brooklyn, NY/Boys and Girls) had Wheaton's lone event win by running 8.34 in the 60-meter hurdles, while junior Michael Wright (Baldwin, NY/Uniondale) met an NCAA Championship provisional qualifying standard in the 60M, placing second in the semifinals in 6.90 before not running the finals. That time converts to 6.42 for 55M, which eclipsed Wright's own school record by 0.01 seconds. For the women, sophomore Renee Thompson (Hartford, CT/Weaver) had a national championship provisional qualifying time of 58.47 in the 400M, placing fourth. On the second-place 4x400M relay team, Thompson joined junior Celeste Karpow (Wilton, CT/Wilton) and sophomores Kelly Libert (New Haven, CT/James Hillhouse) and Kamia Smith (Cincinnati, OH/Cincinnati Country Day School). Wheaton's 4x200M relay team was also second, with Smith joining junior Chizoba Ezeigwe (Brockton, MA/Thayer Academy) and freshmen Danielle Hamlett (Cambridge, MA/Cambridge Rindge and Latin School) and Laurenmaria Smith (Providence, RI/Hope). Classmate Lacresha Simpson (Bronx, NY/New Rochelle) was third in the long jump.

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 1/15/08.
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