Weekly Lyon

Men's Basketball (12-8, 3-6) Falls Twice in Conference Play by Combined Seven Points

The Wheaton College men's basketball team dropped a pair of heartbreakers in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action last week, falling on Wednesday at the United States Coast Guard Academy, 60-57 before succumbing to visiting Babson College, 77-73 on Saturday. With three league games remaining, the Lyons are tied for sixth out of seven teams in the NEWMAC, but the final six squads in the standings are separated by just two games.

A pair of three-pointers with less than 10 seconds remaining fell off the mark as the Lyons narrowly came up short at Coast Guard. Wheaton trailed by 12 points with a little more than 14 minutes left in regulation before drawing within two at 2:41, but the visitors came no closer. Freshman Anthony Coppola (Watertown, MA/Watertown) had a team-high 17 points, canning three three-pointers, while sophomore Ben Stehle (Newton, MA/Newton South) turned in his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench.

Against Babson, the Lyons overcame a 23-1 deficit to lead in the second half, but the Beavers rallied past the hosts. Wheaton had an apparent game-tying basket waved off with 11.2 seconds left due to a charge call. Coppola recorded his fourth 30-point game, tallying 36 on 7-of-13 three-point shooting, while falling one point shy of an 18-year-old freshman school record for points and coming within four of the program's 15-year-old scoring record. His 36 points tie for seventh in Wheaton annals, and he tied the program's career record for games with at least seven three-pointers (3). Junior Nick Michel (Hyde Park, MA/Boston Latin School) added nine points, while Stehle had nine rebounds and five assists.

The Lyons are 10-4 when Coppola is the team's leading scorer. The only other Wheaton freshman to lead the squad in scoring at least 14 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 four times in the last 12 games, matching the total recorded by Lyons during the prior 116 contests. He also matched Mahlon Williams' '95 senior-year school record of four 30-point games in one season. Prior to this campaign, freshmen had combined for only four 30-point games in the program's first 18 seasons, with all four coming in 1989-90. Coppola is third in freshman scoring (395) at Wheaton, and his 72 three-pointers are fourth 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 897 points as the 12th Lyon to appear in at least 100 games, is 10th with 237 free throws.

Coppola Earns ECAC Honor, Draws Second NEWMAC Award of Season

Coppola was named Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Co-Player of the Week and NEWMAC Player of the Week for the week ending on Sunday, February 3. He also earned the NEWMAC distinction on January 7. Coppola led the Lyons to a pair of conference wins, averaging 27.0 points while shooting 70.4 percent (19-27), including 76.9 percent (10-13) from three-point range, and snagging 5.0 rebounds. Coppola exploded for 31 points on 11-of-16 shooting, including 6-of-8 from three, during a January 30 win against Springfield College. Versus Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on February 2, he made 8-of-11 overall and 4-of-5 from three-point land for 23 points to go along with a game-high seven rebounds.

Women's Basketball (15-6, 8-1) Falls into First-Place Tie in NEWMAC After 1-1 Week

The Wheaton College women's basketball team moved to 8-0 in league play for the first time in program history by defeating Babson College, 67-54 on Wednesday before falling in a battle for first place at the United States Coast Guard Academy, 76-61 on Saturday to slide into a tie for the top spot with the Bears. Four league games remain, with three coming at home, as Wheaton aims to clinch its first regular season title since winning the New England Women's 8 Conference (NEW 8) in 1994-95.

Wheaton used a 19-5 second-half run to push past Babson. The Lyons clamped down on defense during the final stanza, at one point yielding one hoop in a span of 8:49. Sophomore Jenny Champney (Bedford, MA/Bedford) tallied 16 points and eight boards, while senior Becky Aitchison (Norwalk, CT/Trinity Catholic) had 15 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Junior Jennie Pleat (Nashua, NH/Nashua South) added eight points off the bench, while sophomore point guard Andrea Bailey (Needham, MA/Needham) turned in seven rebounds, three steals and five assists to just one turnover.

The Lyons had their eight-game conference winning streak snapped at Coast Guard. Down just six nearly nine minutes into the game, Wheaton succumbed to a Bear run that put the hosts up by 20 at halftime. Juniors Krystin Hickey (Manchester, NH/New Hampton School) and Bri Smith (Westford, MA/Westford Academy) each netted 13 points, while Champney had 11.

Hickey (1,057 points) is eighth at Wheaton in scoring, as well as ninth in career field goals (411). Smith is sixth in three-pointers (103), Champney is ninth in blocked shots (51), and Aitchison is ninth in assists (197), tied for ninth in steals (181) and tied for 10th in blocks (36). Champney's 32 blocks this year are tied for fifth at Wheaton, while Bailey is just the eighth Lyon to reach the 100-assist plateau, with 101.

Hickey Earns Second NEWMAC Honor in Three Weeks, Also Draws ECAC Nod

Hickey was selected Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Co-Player of the Week and NEWMAC Player of the Week for the week ending on Sunday, February 3. The NEWMAC honor marked her second this season and third of her career, as Hickey became the first junior in school history and ninth player overall to reach the 1,000-point milestone. She averaged 20.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals during two wins while shooting 61.5 percent (16-26) from the field, including 83.3 percent (5-6) from three-point territory. On January 30 at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Hickey hit the 1,000-point plateau with a career-best 30 points on 12-of-19 shooting to go along with a career-high four threes and nine rebounds. She became just the sixth Lyon to score 30 points in a game, and her 12 field goals were the most by a Wheaton player in 14 years. On February 2 against Springfield College, Hickey finished with 10 points, seven boards, four assists and three steals.

Men's (7-10) and Women's (16-3) Swimming Complete Regular Season at Middlebury

The Wheaton College men's and women's swimming and diving teams completed their regular season slates at the non-scoring Middlebury College Invitational on Saturday, as the Lyons combined to post 13 top-five finishes. Both teams are off until their respective three-day NEWMAC Championships. The women travel to Wellesley College for a meet that begins on February 22, while the men's championship will be contested at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) starting on February 29.

Senior Abby Pratt (Melrose, MA/Melrose) took second in each the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard butterfly and fourth in the 200-yard backstroke. She also swam leadoff legs for two relays, joining classmate Meg Miller (Duxbury, MA/Duxbury) and freshmen Dania Piscetta (Belmont, NH/Belmont) and Nicole Zais (Sudbury, MA/Lincoln-Sudbury Regional) in the 200-yard free and Piscetta, Zais and sophomore Emily Sweatt (Portland, ME/Deering) during the 200-yard medley. Sophomore Iris Meehan (Bar Harbor, ME/Mount Desert Island) was third in the 100-yard back, while Piscetta and Sweatt were fourth in the 100-yard fly and 100-yard breaststroke, respectively. Piscetta also broke an 11-year-old program record in the 100-yard individual medley, surpassing the team's longest-standing mark. Sophomore Stephanie Conelias (Cheshire, CT/Cheshire) placed fourth in the 200-yard breast, junior Caitlin Glover (Durham, NH/Berwick Academy) took fifth in the 100-yard back, and freshmen Stephany Perkins (Monmouth, ME/Monmouth Academy) captured fifth in the 100-yard free. Senior Matt Jordan (Ellsworth, ME/Ellsworth) took second in the men's 100-yard back, while freshman Eddie Gillie (Haverhill, MA/Saint John's Prep) notched a fourth-place showing in the 200-yard fly.

Jordan Named ECAC Co-Swimmer of the Week, Draws Second Career Honor

Jordan was named Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Co-Swimmer of the Week for the week ending on Sunday, February 3, as he earned the honor for the second time in his career. Jordan tallied six wins during a pair of meet dates, capturing four individual races and two relays. He won the 50-yard backstroke and freestyle races on January 29 against Division II Bentley College and Bridgewater State College while swimming leadoff for the victorious 400-yard medley relay team. In the final home meet of his career on February 2, Jordan posted top finishes in the 100-yard back and free events against Bates College and Tufts University. He also led off for the winning 200-yard medley relay quartet.

Synchronized Swimming Wins Wheaton Invitational for Fourth Time in Five Years

The Wheaton College synchronized swimming team won its own invitational for the fourth time in five years on Saturday, topping a four-team field. Sophomore Laura Montes (San Juan, PR/Academia San Jose) won the A figures competition before performing the top solo routine, and she joined sophomore Jenna Swinkin (Hamden, CT/Hamden) and freshman Sonvje Ryen (Bozeman, MT/Manhattan Christian) to win trio. In the team category, Montes, Ryen, Swinkin, senior Megan Kinney (Los Angeles, CA/Marlborough School), junior Sylvia Syracuse (Tonawanda, NY/Kenmore West) and freshman Jenna Calvino (Merrimack, NH/Merrimack) combined for a victory, while Swinkin and Syracuse rounded out Wheaton's routine winners in the duet. In B figures, Kinney, Syracuse and Swinkin took the top three spots, respectively, while Calvino finished second in D.

Men's and Women's Indoor Track and Field Combine for Five NCAA Standards in NYC

The Wheaton College men's and women's indoor track and field teams combined for five provisional qualifications for the NCAA Championship and one school record on Friday and Saturday at the eighth annual New Balance Collegiate Invitational, a Division I-heavy event that was contested at the New York City Armory. For the third consecutive weekend, sophomore Howard Powell (Brooklyn, NY/Boys and Girls) either broke or tied his own 55-meter hurdles school record, this time eclipsing the mark by 0.01 seconds and provisionally qualifying for NCAAs. Powell completed the 60-meter hurdles in 8.29, which converts into a record time of 7.75 at the 55M distance.

In the women's high jump, freshman Erin Neville (North Providence, RI/La Salle Academy) reached 5' 7", tying for the top height in the event to place second overall. Entering the weekend, Neville's performance would be the second best in the nation this season, as it left her 1/4 inches shy of automatic qualification. Senior Megan Brousseau (Attleboro, MA/Attleboro) provisionally qualified in the mile, clocking in at 5:02.29 during a 10th-place finish. Sophomore Renee Thompson (Hartford, CT/Weaver) turned in an NCAA provisional time of 57.85 in the 400-meter dash. Wheaton's 4x400M relay team also met an NCAA Championship provisional qualification, as Thompson, juniors Chizoba Ezeigwe (Brockton, MA/Thayer Academy) and Celeste Karpow (Wilton, CT/Wilton), and sophomore Kelly Libert (New Haven, CT/James Hillhouse) combined for a time of 3:55.41 during a fourth-place finish.

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 2/11/08.
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