Weekly Lyon

Men's Basketball (12-6, 3-4) Wins Twice, Jumps Four Spots in NEWMAC Standings

The Wheaton College men's basketball team won twice last week, as the Lyons wrapped up play tied for third in the seven-team New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) after opening the week in last place. The Blue and White downed Springfield College, 77-72 in overtime on Wednesday and knocked off Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 84-81 on Saturday. Wheaton also surpassed its 2006-07 win total.

Host Wheaton jumped out to a 10-point overtime lead against the Pride after trailing 51-40 with 12:40 to go in regulation. The Lyons made up for seeing an 11-0 lead evaporate, as freshman Anthony Coppola (Watertown, MA/Watertown) scored the first nine points and finished with a game-high 31. He finished 11-of-16, including 6-of-8 from beyond the arc. Junior Nick Michel (Hyde Park, MA/Boston Latin School) scored 10 of his 12 points after halftime, hitting 6-of-7 free throw tries, and snagged a career-high 15 rebounds. Sophomore Jaxon Leo (Leesburg, VA/New Hampton School) hit all seven of his attempts from the charity stripe to finish with 15 points, as the Lyons went 25-of-28 on freebie tries. Wheaton has not lost an overtime game since February 2005.

Coppola and fellow first-years Bobby Perry (East Providence, RI/East Providence) and Ryan Sasso (Peabody, MA/Bishop Fenwick) combined for 51 points, leading the Lyons past the visiting Engineers. A 14-0 Wheaton run put the hosts up by 19 early in the second half before MIT knotted the contest at 72 with 4:16 to go, but the Lyons hit their final 10 free throw attempts to pull in front. Coppola netted 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting, going 4-of-5 on three-point attempts, and added seven boards. Sasso and Perry were each one point shy of matching their season highs, turning in 16 and 12 points, respectively. Sasso went 5-of-5 on free throws, while Perry shot 4-of-5 from the floor with three assists off the bench. Leo added 12 points, while Michel swatted three shots. Wheaton hit 21-of-25 freebie tries.

The Lyons are 10-2 when Coppola is the team's leading scorer. The only other Wheaton freshman to lead the squad in scoring at least 12 times was Will Hawkins '93, who did so on a first-year record 17 occasions in 1989-90. Coppola has netted at least 30 points three times in the last 10 games, matching the total recorded by Lyons during the prior 112 contests. The last Wheaton player to hit 30 three times in a season was Josean Vega '05 in 2003-04. Coppola is fourth in freshman scoring (342) in program history, and his 62 three-pointers are tied for sixth among all Lyons. Michel has cracked the top 10 in single-season blocked shots, as his 27 place him ninth, and he stands 10th with 42 for his career. Senior Brent DiGiovanna (Hanover, MA/Hanover), who has 888 points, is 10th with 230 career free throws.

Women's Basketball (14-5, 7-0) Matches Best Conference Start, Hickey Reaches 1,000

The Wheaton College women's basketball team matched the best conference start in program history after winning twice in NEWMAC play last week, and junior Krystin Hickey (Manchester, NH/New Hampton School) became the ninth Lyon to reach the 1,000-point plateau. Hickey met the milestone in her 73rd game, as the program's second-fastest player to accomplish the feat was the first junior to record her 1,000th point. The Blue and White completed play atop the 10-team league after downing host Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 78-71 on Wednesday and visiting Springfield College, 69-54 on Saturday. The Pride entered the game with only one NEWMAC defeat, while Wheaton moved alone into first place following a Saturday loss by the United States Coast Guard Academy, which had also been perfect in the league. The Lyons matched the 1994-95 team, which completed New England Women's 8 Conference (NEW 8) action at 7-0, and improved to 10-1 in their last 11 games.

Hickey netted a career-high 30 points on 12-of-19 shooting, including a career-best four three-pointers on five attempts, while snagging nine rebounds as the Lyons downed MIT. During the game, Hickey became the first Wheaton player in 13 years to reach the 1,000-point milestone, draining a three-pointer 4:11 into the game to hit the mark. Hickey tied for third in single-game program history in points, becoming just the sixth Lyon to score 30, and her 12 field goals were the most by a Wheaton player in 14 years. Sophomore Jenny Champney (Bedford, MA/Bedford) tallied 15 points, senior Becky Aitchison (Norwalk, CT/Trinity Catholic) had 10, and sophomore Andrea Bailey (Needham, MA/Needham) collected six assists, six boards and four steals.

Against Springfield, Wheaton used a 22-8 second-half run to rally from a one-point deficit and pick up its largest victory over the Pride since an 18-point win in 1999. Junior Bri Smith (Westford, MA/Westford Academy) recorded 17 of her 19 points in the second half, including 13 in the final 4:29, as she tied for fifth in program history by making 11 freebies, on 12 attempts, and snagged five boards. Champney posted 13 points and six rebounds, while Bailey added 12 points and four steals. Hickey had 10 points, seven boards and four assists, and Aitchison chipped in with eight points and seven rebounds.

Hickey (1,037 points) is ninth on Wheaton's scoring list, just 12 points short of eighth. Hickey is also ninth in career field goals (403), Smith is sixth in three-pointers (101), Champney is ninth in blocked shots (49) and Aitchison is 10th in assists (192). Champney's 30 blocks this year are sixth at Wheaton.

Men's (7-10) and Women's (16-3) Swimming Take Six of Eight, Women Set Wins Mark

The Wheaton College men's and women's swimming and diving teams combined to win six out of eight decisions last week, as the women broke the program's victories record for the fourth consecutive season. On Tuesday, the host Lyon women defeated Division II Bentley College, 160-138 and Bridgewater State College, 224-69, while the men downed the Bears, 155-95 but fell to the Falcons, 185-88. On Saturday, the homestanding Blue and White women downed Bates College, 189-108 and Tufts University, 167-131. The Lyon men defeated Bates, 155-89 but lost to Tufts, 197-93.

Against Bentley and Bridgewater State, senior Abby Pratt (Melrose, MA/Melrose) won the 50- and 100-yard freestyle events and 50-yard butterfly race. Her time of 24.54 in the 50-yard free was 0.08 shy of an NCAA Championship provisional qualifier, while her finish of 27.20 in the 50-yard fly broke her own program record by 0.18 seconds. Sophomore Emily Sweatt (Portland, ME/Deering) swept the 50- and 200-yard breaststroke events. Senior Matt Jordan (Ellsworth, ME/Ellsworth) paced the Lyon men by contributing to three event triumphs, finishing first in the 50-yard backstroke and 50-yard free races while leading off for the victorious 400-yard medley relay team.

One school record and a near miss of another highlighted the Bates and Tufts meet for the women, who broke the 2006-07 team's mark of 14 victories. In the 400-yard freestyle relay, Pratt, senior Meg Miller (Duxbury, MA/Duxbury) and freshmen Dania Piscetta (Belmont, NH/Belmont) and Nicole Zais (Sudbury, MA/Lincoln-Sudbury Regional) combined to win in a time of 3:40.53, bettering a program standard by 0.30 seconds. Piscetta came out on top during the 100-yard butterfly, but it was her runner-up showing in the 200-yard free in 1:58.69 that fell 0.07 seconds short of a nine-year-old Wheaton record. Pratt won the 50- and 100-yard frees, Zais anchored the winning 200-yard medley relay team, while Sweatt came out on top in the 100- and 200-yard breast events. Jordan and senior Matt Hurley (Belfast, ME/Belfast Area) each swam legs for the top 200-yard medley relay quartet, while Hurley won the 100- and 200-yard breasts and Jordan topped the 100-yard backstroke and 100-yard free.

Synchronized Swimming Opens Story Era with Third-Place Showing at Canisius Invite

The Wheaton College synchronized swimming team opened its season by placing third at the Canisius Invitational on Saturday during Rebecca Story's debut as a collegiate head coach. Sophomore Laura Montes (San Juan, PR/Academia San Jose) had Wheaton's best showing during the four routines, placing second in the five-athlete solo competition. Montes also helped Wheaton come in third during the team routine, joining senior Megan Kinney (Los Angeles, CA/Marlborough School), junior Sylvia Syracuse (Tonawanda, NY/Kenmore West), sophomore Jenna Swinkin (Hamden, CT/Hamden) and freshmen Jenna Calvino (Merrimack, NH/Merrimack) and Sonvje Ryen (Bozeman, MT/Manhattan Christian). Swinkin and Syracuse combined to place third in the duet.

Men's and Women's Indoor Track and Field Combine for Three Event Wins at Tufts

The Wheaton College men's and women's indoor track and field teams combined for three event wins on Saturday at the Tufts University Invitational, as the women placed fourth while the men came in eighth. Sophomore Howard Powell (Brooklyn, NY/Boys and Girls) won the 55-meter hurdles in 7.76, matching his own school record and falling just 0.01 seconds shy of an NCAA Championship qualifying time. Junior Kyle Greenidge (Dorchester, MA/Newton North) won the triple jump, while freshman Erin Neville (North Providence, RI/La Salle Academy) was the top women's high jumper.

Freshmen Marcus Kohlman (Milton, MA/Milton) and Mark Williamson (Vienna, VA/James Madison) turned in runner-up showings in the high jump and 200-meter dash, respectively, while classmate Diana Kornberg (Highland Mills, NY/Monroe-Woodbury) took second in the women's shot put. First-year Laurenmaria Smith (Providence, RI/Hope) played a hand in a trio of top-three marks, taking second in the 200M and third in the 55M while anchoring the third-place 4x400M relay, joining juniors Lily Calderwood (Harvard, MA/Bromfield School), Natana Jules (Brooklyn, NY/Boys and Girls) and Celeste Karpow (Wilton, CT/Wilton). Karpow posted a runner-up finish in the 400M, while senior Megan Brousseau (Attleboro, MA/Attleboro) placed third in the mile run, coming within 1.92 seconds of a national meet provisional qualifying time at 5:06.92.

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 2/4/08.
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