Weekly Lyon

Men's Basketball (13-12, 3-9) Advances in NEWMAC Tournament, Season Ends in Semis

The Wheaton College men's basketball team became the only New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) team in the league's 10-year history to qualify for at least nine tournament semifinals, as the seventh-seeded Lyons stunned number two Clark University, 78-74 on Wednesday during the first round in Worcester before falling in the semifinals to third-seeded United States Coast Guard Academy, 68-56 on Saturday at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI).

Sophomore Jaxon Leo's (Leesburg, VA/New Hampton School) three-pointer with 6:12 left in regulation at Clark put Wheaton on top for good and triggered a 7-0 run to help Wheaton push past the Cougars. Freshman Anthony Coppola (Watertown, MA/Watertown) netted 28 points on 11-of-18 shooting, as well as a 4-of-4 showing on free throw tries, and added two steals. Leo shot 4-of-8 from the field, including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc, and went 4-of-4 from the charity stripe while finishing with 14 points and four rebounds. Sophomore Ben Stehle (Newton, MA/Newton South) shot 4-of-6 for 10 points and snagged seven boards, while freshman Bobby Perry (East Providence, RI/East Providence) had seven points, six rebounds and three assists. Junior Nick Michel (Hyde Park, MA/Boston Latin School) grabbed five caroms in 12 minutes off the bench. Wheaton went 18-of-19 on free throw tries, as its 94.7 percent clip from the charity stripe was the second best in program history.

The Lyons used a 16-0 run to edge ahead of Coast Guard by as many as 12 points early in the second half before succumbing to a 34-11 run during the final 12:51 against the eventual league champion. Coppola had 15 points, going 5-of-6 on free throw attempts, while freshman Ryan Sasso (Peabody, MA/Bishop Fenwick) added 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting. Senior Brent DiGiovanna (Hanover, MA/Hanover) shot 4-of-5 for nine points with four rebounds in his final collegiate game, while Perry snagged seven boards. Michel added five rebounds in 10 minutes as a reserve.

Coppola finished the season as the fifth Lyon to ever score 500 points, tallying the program's second-highest freshman total with 500 on the nose, placing seventh overall. He also led the squad in scoring 18 times, breaking the Wheaton freshman record of 17 set in 1989-90. Prior to this season, Lyon freshmen had led the team in scoring a total of 18 times in the previous 231 games since February 1999. Coppola's freshman-record 85 three-pointers were three short of the school mark, and he hit three-pointers at a 47.2 percent clip to come within 0.1 percent of the program standard. His 172 field goals were seventh in a season at Wheaton. Michel broke a 15-year-old school mark by shooting 62.8 percent from the floor and placed seventh in single-season blocks (31), while his career total (46) is tied for ninth. DiGiovanna finished his career second in school history in free throw percentage (.788), third in field goal shooting (.502), tied for third in games (106), ninth in free throws (242) and 15th in points (913).

Women's Basketball (22-6, 12-1) Wins First NEWMAC Crown, Initial Title in 13 Years

The Wheaton College women's basketball team went 3-0 at home last week to win its first NEWMAC Tournament in the 10-year history of the league, as well as earning its initial league crown and NCAA Tournament berth since the 1994-95 season. The top-seeded Lyons downed number eight Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 79-36 on Wednesday in the first round and defeated fourth-seeded Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), 59-53 in a Saturday semifinal. Against five-time league champion Springfield College on Sunday, Wheaton defeated the third seed, 74-69 in the title tilt and improved to 13-0 in home conference tournament games. The Lyons will take on Tufts University during the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday at Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, New York, with the second round occurring at the same site on Saturday. The Lyons have now captured five league crowns, winning each championship game they've played since 1987. Since a 4-4 start, the Blue and White has gone 18-2, and its 22 wins are the third-highest total in program history.

The Lyons scored the game's first 11 points against MIT and used a 14-3 run to go up by 22 late in the first half. Junior Krystin Hickey (Manchester, NH/New Hampton School) nearly recorded a triple-double with 18 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists in 28 minutes, shooting 8-of-13. Sophomore Jenny Champney (Bedford, MA/Bedford) added 16 points, six rebounds and three blocks, while junior Bri Smith (Westford, MA/Westford Academy) tallied 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting with four rebounds and three assists. Senior Becky Aitchison (Norwalk, CT/Trinity Catholic) shot 3-of-4 with six points and five rebounds, while sophomore point guard Andrea Bailey (Needham, MA/Needham) tallied six points and eight assists. Classmate Ida Kruse (Vershire, VT/Rivendell Academy) added six points and four helpers off the bench. The Lyons recorded 28 assists and just five turnovers, as Wheaton's 43-point margin of victory was its third largest in a conference tournament game.

Wheaton saw a 19-point second-half lead against WPI dwindle to two points three times in the final 4:29 of regulation, but Aitchison and Bailey each hit a pair of free throws in the final 15 seconds to salt away the victory. Smith scored all of her team-high 17 points during a 6:34 span of the first half, hitting five three-pointers, including the final trio in 1:25. Hickey added 16 points and eight rebounds, shooting 5-of-8 from the field and 6-of-9 at the charity stripe, while Aitchison tallied 13 points, six boards and four assists. Champney snagged eight rebounds and blocked a pair of shots.

The championship game featured 12 lead changes and 10 ties, as Hickey's hoop with 3:17 remaining during an 8-0 run put the Lyons up for good. Springfield twice cut its deficit to one, but Hickey's three-point play with 53.4 ticks remaining triggered a 6-0 run that clinched the win. Hickey finished with 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting to go along with five assists, while Smith shot 5-of-7 on free throw tries and also notched 15 points. Aitchison turned in 13 points, three assists and three steals, including a pair in the final 27 seconds. Kruse shot 4-of-5 from the floor and 4-of-4 on free throw attempts to finish with 12 points, six rebounds and two blocks, while Bailey had 11 points, six assists and three steals. Champney finished with eight points and nine rebounds. The last time Wheaton had five double-digit scorers was on February 18, 2006, also against Springfield at Emerson Gymnasium.

Hickey (1,149 points) is sixth at Wheaton in career scoring, fifth in field goals (446) and ninth in three-pointers (66). Smith is third in three-pointers (118), Champney is seventh in blocked shots (68), and Aitchison is seventh in steals (198), eighth in assists (225), and 10th in each blocks (39) and field goals (379). Champney is second in single-season blocks (49) and tied for ninth in field goals (145), Bailey is tied for fifth in assists (124) and Hickey is 10th in points (375).

Champney Named NEWMAC Player of the Week for First Time

Champney collected the first NEWMAC Player-of-the-Week honor of her career for the week ending on Sunday, February 24. Champney led Wheaton to a 2-0 week and its first NEWMAC regular season title, which was its first regular season crown since 1995, by averaging 19.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.0 blocks while shooting 54.8 percent (17-31) from the field and 83.3 percent (5-6) from the charity stripe. During a 68-63 win over Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on February 20, Champney shot 9-of-13 for 18 points. Versus Clark University on February 23, Champney helped the Lyons to a 71-50 win behind 21 points, nine rebounds and six blocks, one shy of the school record.

Men's Swimming and Diving (7-10) Takes Fifth at NEWMAC Championship

The Wheaton College men's swimming and diving team came within nine points of fourth place during last weekend's three-day NEWMAC Championship, as the Lyons finished fifth at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Wheaton either broke or tied four school records.

Freshman Eddie Gillie (Haverhill, MA/Saint John's Prep) twice eclipsed the program standard in the 500-yard freestyle on Friday, breaking a four-year-old record in the trials before finishing 4:52.86 in the finals. The Lyons had fifth-place relay finishes in the 200-yard free and 400-yard medley events. Freshmen Corey Best (Brentwood, TN/Ravenwood), Sam Dean-Lee (Rocky Hill, CT/Xavier Hill), Zach Fichman-Klein (North Attleboro, MA/North Attleboro) and Ben Sabol (Saint Petersburg, FL/Shorecrest Prep) comprised the 200-yard free relay foursome, while Best and Dean-Lee joined seniors Matt Hurley (Belfast, ME/Belfast Area) and Matt Jordan (Ellsworth, ME/Ellsworth) on the 400-yard medley relay quartet.

On Saturday, Hurley and Jordan each broke program marks, with Hurley notching a 50-yard breaststroke time of 27.57 during the 100 breast finals, which was 0.02 ticks faster than his two-year-old school record, and Jordan touching the wall in the 100-yard butterfly trials in 52.96. Hurley took fourth in the 100 breast in 1:00.13, which was 0.03 ticks off his three-year-old school mark, and he, Dean-Lee, Fichman-Klein and Jordan came in fourth in the 200-yard medley relay. Jordan took third in the 100-yard backstroke, while he, Dean-Lee, Gillie and Hurley were fifth in the 800 free relay.

On Sunday, Gillie tied a three-year-old school standard in the 200 fly in 2:00.29. Jordan posted a fifth-place result in the 200 back, while he, Dean-Lee, Gillie and Hurley were fifth in the 400 free relay.

Synchronized Swimming Places Third at Seven-Team East Collegiate Regional

The Wheaton College synchronized swimming team turned in a strong showing at the two-day East Collegiate Regional, placing third among seven squads at Canisius College with 77 points, just three shy of runner-up Keuka College. The Blue and White had its best showing during the team routine, as 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) tied for second. Swinkin and Syracuse placed third in the duet, while Wheaton went three-four in the trio while using two groupings that had not competed together in a meet yet this year. Kinney, Montes and Ryen took third, and Calvino, Swinkin and Syracuse were fourth as the Lyons fielded a pair of trio teams for the first time this season. In solo routines, Montes placed fifth. Ryen was the top finisher in the nine-swimmer C figures field, while three Lyons were among the top nine in the B category, as Kinney was third, Syracuse seventh and Swinkin ninth. Montes placed fifth in A figures, while Calvino was sixth in the 30-swimmer D competition.

Men's and Women's Indoor Track and Field Athletes Notch Two AQs at All New Englands

The Wheaton College men's and women's indoor track and field teams' athletes combined to notch three school records and two automatic qualifications for the NCAA Championship at the All New England Championship over the weekend at Boston University. The Lyon women were the top Division III squad among 13 scoring teams, tying for ninth overall out of 32 institutions. Wheaton's men tied for 15th out of 33 scoring teams while tying for fifth among 15 Division III schools. Blue and White athletes met provisional qualifications for the NCAA meet in seven additional events.

Both of Wheaton's women's relay teams turned in stellar showings, led by the 4x400-meter relay team's automatic qualification for the national championship in 3:50.43. Based on results entering the weekend, that time would be tops in Division III this season. Juniors Chizoba Ezeigwe (Brockton, MA/Thayer Academy) and Celeste Karpow (Wilton, CT/Wilton) and sophomores Kelly Libert (New Haven, CT/James Hillhouse) and Renee Thompson (Hartford, CT/Weaver) comprised the foursome, which placed third in the race. During individual events, Thompson automatically qualified for nationals by placing third in the 400M in 56.30, while senior Megan Brousseau (Attleboro, MA/Attleboro) broke a school record with a 4:56.02 finish in the mile, good for a provisional qualification time and third place. Brousseau and Ezeigwe each ran legs for the distance medley relay team, which broke a school record by 6.84 seconds at 11:58.05. Juniors Lily Calderwood (Harvard, MA/Bromfield School) and Natana Jules (Brooklyn, NY/Boys and Girls) completed the quartet, which provisionally qualified for NCAAs. A pair of freshman field athletes met provisional standards, as Diana Kornberg's (Highland Mills, NY/Monroe-Woodbury) shot put toss of 42' 8 1/4" put her fifth in the competition, and Erin Neville (North Providence, RI/La Salle Academy) cleared 5' 5" in the high jump to come in eighth.

For the fourth time this season, sophomore Howard Powell (Brooklyn, NY/Boys and Girls) broke his own school record in the 55-meter hurdles, as he highlighted the men's portion of the meet by running a time of 7.60 in the semifinals. Powell met NCAA provisional standards in the semifinals and finals, when he finished fifth. Sophomore Merzudin Ibric (Revere, MA/Phillips Academy) twice surpassed a provisional qualification time in the 400M, running his fastest at 48.99 during a sixth-place finals showing. Junior Kyle Greenidge (Dorchester, MA/Newton North) provisionally qualified for the NCAAs by turning in a distance of 46' 3 1/2" in the triple jump, as he took fifth.

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 3/4/08.
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