Weekly Lyon

Men's Basketball (12-9, 3-7) Drops Only Contest of the Week, Remains Sixth in NEWMAC

The Wheaton College men's basketball team fell in its only contest of the week, losing 74-60 at Springfield College during New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play on Saturday. The Lyons remain sixth in the seven-team league with their final two regular season games coming up this week. However, in the tightly-packed NEWMAC standings, two victories could vault the Blue and White all the way into a tie for third. The conference tournament begins on Wednesday, February 27, as Wheaton is still in contention for a home postseason contest.

Wheaton and Springfield exchanged the lead eight times and played to five ties during the first 23:51, but the Pride used a 9-0 second-half run to break open a two-point game. Freshman Ryan Sasso (Peabody, MA/Bishop Fenwick) matched his season high with 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc, while hitting all four of his free throw tries. Sophomore Jaxon Leo (Leesburg, VA/New Hampton School) tallied 14 points and eight rebounds, while freshman Anthony Coppola (Watertown, MA/Watertown) added 14 points thanks to 4-of-4 free throw shooting.

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 13 games, matching the total recorded by Lyons during the prior 116 contests. He also matched Mahlon Williams' '95 school record of four 30-point games in one campaign, set during the 1994-95 season. Prior to this year, 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 second in freshman scoring (409) at Wheaton, and his 74 three-pointers are fourth among all Lyons. Junior Nick Michel (Hyde Park, MA/Boston Latin School) 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, is 10th in both career games played (102) and free throws (237).

Women's Basketball (17-6, 10-1) Regains Sole Possession of First Place During 2-0 Week

The Wheaton College women's basketball team remained in first place in the NEWMAC thanks to a 2-0 week and regained sole possession of the top spot following the United States Coast Guard Academy's loss on Saturday. The Lyons downed visiting Wellesley College, 64-54 on Wednesday before defeating host Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), 60-44 on Saturday. Wheaton broke last season's program record for league wins and has matched its highest regular season win total since 1994-95. With two regular season games remaining, both at home this week, Wheaton aims to clinch its first regular season conference crown since winning the New England Women's 8 Conference (NEW 8) in 1994-95.

Against Wellesley, the Lyons trailed by four points with less than six minutes until halftime before putting together an 11-2 run that gave them the lead for good, and a 10-1 run in the second half blew open a three-point contest. Junior Krystin Hickey (Manchester, NH/New Hampton School) tallied 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting to go along with nine rebounds, while sophomore Jenny Champney (Bedford, MA/Bedford) notched 17 points, five boards and two blocked shots. Senior Becky Aitchison (Norwalk, CT/Trinity Catholic) added 13 points, six rebounds and six assists, while sophomore Andrea Bailey (Needham, MA/Needham) tacked on four steals.

Wheaton trailed by eight points early at WPI, but the Lyons shot 59.1 percent in the second half, and a 16-3 run during the final stanza helped them extend a three-point edge. Junior Bri Smith (Westford, MA/Westford Academy) led the visitors with 11 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals. Hickey added nine points and eight caroms, while Aitchison turned in eight points, 10 boards, five steals and four assists. Sophomore Callie Schneider (Nashua, NH/Bishop Guertin) came off the bench with a career-high eight points, while Bailey had seven points and five helpers.

Hickey (1,083 points) is eighth at Wheaton in scoring, eighth in career field goals (421), and has become the first player in program history to begin her career with three straight 300-point seasons. Smith is tied for fifth in three-pointers (105), Champney is seventh in blocked shots (55), and Aitchison is ninth in assists (207) and steals (188) and tied for 10th in blocks (36). Champney's 36 blocks this year are fourth at Wheaton, while Bailey is just the eighth Lyon to reach the 100-assist plateau, with 106.

Synchronized Swimming Competes Twice over Weekend in New York at Keuka

The Wheaton College synchronized swimming team competed twice over the weekend at Keuka College, first placing fourth among four teams on Saturday at the Keuka Invitational before coming in third out of three squads during a Sunday tri-meet that included the hosts and The Ohio State University.

During the Keuka Invitational, Wheaton placed fourth in the team routine, with senior Megan Kinney (Los Angeles, CA/Marlborough School), junior Sylvia Syracuse (Tonawanda, NY/Kenmore West), sophomores Laura Montes (San Juan, PR/Academia San Jose) and Jenna Swinkin (Hamden, CT/Hamden), and freshmen Jenna Calvino (Merrimack, NH/Merrimack) and Sonvje Ryen (Bozeman, MT/Manhattan Christian) competing, while Swinkin and Syracuse's duet routine was good for fourth. Montes placed fifth in solo, while Calvino captured D figures, Ryen was second in the C category and Kinney took fourth in B.

On Sunday during a meet that included only routines and no figures competitions, Wheaton's team routine earned second-place points, as Calvino, Kinney, Montes, Ryen, Swinkin and Syracuse again comprised the squad. Swinkin and Syracuse placed second in duet, while Montes, Ryen and Swinkin came in fourth during trio. Montes was fifth in the solo competition.

Men's and Women's Indoor Track and Field Total 10 Event Victories at MIT

The Wheaton College men's and women's indoor track and field teams totaled 10 event victories and combined for a pair of NCAA Championship provisional qualifications on Saturday at Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) Coed Invitational.

Seven of Wheaton's victories came on the women's side, as junior Chizoba Ezeigwe (Brockton, MA/Thayer Academy) won the 55- and 200-meter dashes while joining classmate Morgan Jamiel (Warwick, RI/Toll Gate), sophomore Renee Thompson (Hartford, CT/Weaver) and freshman Laurenmaria Smith (Providence, RI/Hope) on the winning 4x200-meter relay quartet. Junior Amanda Rawson (Dudley, MA/Shepherd Hill Regional) and sophomore Kelly Libert (New Haven, CT/James Hillhouse) won the 3,000-meter run and 400-meter dash, respectively. In the field, a pair of freshmen won events, as Diana Kornberg's (Highland Mills, NY/Monroe-Woodbury) shot put toss of 42' 1 1/4" provisionally qualified her for the national championship. Erin Neville (North Providence, RI/La Salle Academy) topped the high jump field. For the men, sophomore Mark Cimino (Danbury, CT/Danbury) took first in the 55M, while junior Albi Skenderi (Glendale, NY/Grover Cleveland), sophomore Howard Powell (Brooklyn, NY/Boys and Girls) and freshmen Nick Colantuono (Sudbury, MA/Lincoln-Sudbury Regional) and Mark Williamson (Vienna, VA/James Madison) combined to win the 4x400M relay. Freshman Marcus Kohlman (Milton, MA/Milton) won the high jump, while junior Kyle Greenidge (Dorchester, MA/Newton North) reached 45' 11 3/4" during the triple jump, surpassing a provisional qualifying standard for the NCAA meet while finishing third.

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 2/18/08.
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